ok - prepare for a nonsensical post. i am going to fucking new york tomorrow morning! i can not believe how excited i am for this whole thing. nyc just seems to have a magick spell that it casts and weaves over everyone. i spent some time there 4 or 5 years ago. it was a brief visit, just like this one, actually. but last time i had to spend 2 days in some sort of training classes for music publishing software. it was a free trip - and that is always a treat. gotta love having a per diem. and i had 1 entire free day to myself.
but this trip there are no boring training courses and no talking of work-like things. this trip is a free-for-all. right now this is a list of things that i want to see and do.
1. have a drink in new york's revolving lounge. it's in the marriott marquis in times square. i remember a colleague taking me here last time - it was really quite stunning to see the lights of the city come on as you have a panoramic view of the entire place.
2. see great works of art at the museum of modern art. last time, strangely, i opted not to go (admission is $20.00) but this time we have found that admission is free on friday nights between 4 & 8pm. that's where i will be tomorrow night. wild.
3. go to the met, go to the met, go to the met. i did go here last time and i will go everytime i hit nyc. last time there was a touring exhibit of art in ancient egypt - focusing on the the 5th dynasty - very early. this time there is an exhibit called, "the perfect medium" as well as another egyptian exhibit depicting medicine in ancient egyptian art. did you know that the egyptians were the first folks to perform brain surgery. well, they were.
4. eat at moby's restaruant, teany. it is an organic tea house that also serves veggie/vegan food. yummy! it's in the lower east side and well, i am just going to happen to be in that neighbourhood on sunday. also, i am a tea junkie. audrey and i have a tea cupboard. seriously. it is a giant cupboard that would normally be taken up by dried goods and such, but in our pad, it's a home for all our tea. and even that's not enough. we have two tea chests and there are built-in shelves that are positively crammed with wooden boxes of flavoured black tea. not to mention various tea strainers, pots and on and on.... the best tea store in toronto is close to my house. it's called say tea and they carry wonderful blends.
5. see david usher at the rockwood music hall. really, it's the reason this trip is happening now. new york is amazing in and of itself - but an intimate david show with 4 musicians and 3- 4 new songs.... oh.my.gods.
6. visit love saves the day. yeah, yeah. i'm going to geek out and go all fangurl, but i need to go to this little nostalgia shop in david's 'hood. at his last show in toronto, he mentioned that he lifted the song title for, "love will save the day" from this place. heehee. i need a picture of the sign.
7. ground zero, the world trade center twin towers. i did not see these while they were still standing during my last visit to new york. this time i will go see what remains after the terrorist attacks. you kind of have to.
8. visit central park. i walked very briefly through a little corner of it by the met last time - this time, it might be nice to actually see a bit more. it has over 26,000 trees. cool. and as there is virtually nothing i love more than trees in the autumn... well....
9. macy's for some good deals. audrey went to san francisco in the spring and came out with some amazing deals (cashmere sweaters for like 15.00 or something obscene like that). i want to partake of the deals! gimme the deals! and considering the hotel is only a few blocks away...
there is more i want to see and do, but i'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now! i think i need to pick up a guide book - or something. again - i am just so excited, i almost can't contain myself!
now, however, i must go and do somethings so i can acutally leave tomorrow morning. vacuum, wash dishes, do laundry, have a sauna (ok, that has nothing to do with going tomorrow, but it's nice, doncha think?)
[music | the warlocks, "come save us"]
10.25.2005
montreal
having just returned from montreal, i thought it might be appropriate to post a couple of pictures from my very cold sunday down in old montreal and the old port.
montreal is a city of such magic for me. the people know how to really enjoy life, the men make eye contact, history is present and there seems to be much less of an emphasis on the race through life that i see everyday in toronto.
having grown up in alberta and having lived the past 15 years in toronto i can say that the cultural differences found in montreal are very evident and very wonderful. anyone who claims that quebec is not a 'distinct society' has clearly never made the trip to la belle province.
i think, however, if i were to drive in montreal, i would feel very differently about it all! the stories of horrific montreal traffic and drivers abound. a store clerk in old montreal was so excited to hear that we were visiting from toronto - she kept marveling about how big and wide the highways and freeways are there. she thought that there must be lots of room to move on them. seems she's never experienced rush-hour in toronto....
it was such a cold, damp and windy day.... you'd have to really want to be alone to sit here...
regrettably, i don't know what these buildings are - but they really help to capture the feeling of old montreal...
the clock tower on st. lawrence river...
another building i don't know the name of or the reason for - but damn, doesn't it look cold!and of course, the reason for the trip was the david show on saturday. as always, the show was a highlight beyond description and well worth whatever it takes to actually get there. next, new york city on friday morning!
[music david usher, "too close to the sun"]
10.20.2005
"form keele"
ok... so there i am waiting for the bus to arrive when i realize i've been waiting a very long time. i live within walking distance to the station - but sometimes i like to play the fates and just see if i get a bus. it was one of those mornings.
after i first got there i sensed someone behind me and it was a man also waiting for the bus, but standing several feet away from the stop. whatever. then as i waited and waited and waited, i looked back at the man and said, "i guess we're stuck here now... it's too late to walk." meaning, if i started walking (as i often do) 2 or 3 busses will whiz mightily past me. the guy walked closer and agreed that "we prisoner now".
taking a second look at him, i realized that he was hunched up in his windbreaker like he was freezing to death. he tells me he's from mexico city and that this is very cold for him. it really wasn't all that bad out there today. more of what i'd call a lovely typical october day. (i love the autumn... but i think anyone reading this rambling entries may have picked up on that by now).
turns out he's here studying english and french and he wants to end up going to university here. he is staying the winter. i told him he needed to buy warmer clothes - because this isn't cold at all. i told him the secret to surviving an ontario winter - many many many layers and that he needed to buy wool. then the poor puppy says someone told him he could buy gloves at the sears in yorkdale mall. what the fuck? why is some moron sending him all the way out to yorkdale (from bloor and keele) to get bluddy gloves? urgh.
i test the waters and say, "you must have a lot of people telling you where to get things." and he responds that he lives alone and actually doesn't know many people and that it's hard for him to get the things he needs. i told him he just needed to start talking to people and they'd be happy to help. then he tells me the one thing that just dissolves my defenses, "i try but people often don't have time." for me, that's just awful. as a transplant to toronto, i do know what it's like to feel like the city couldn't give a flying fuck about you (now, that's an interesting visual). for many years after i first moved here i would look up at the looming and somewhat mocking cn tower and feel like it was laughing at me, "go back home you little alberta farm gurl. you don't belong."
and at least i had the ability to blend in quite easily... i am a white canadian-born female. no discrimination to deal with there. even though toronto is easily the MOST racially and culturally diverse city i've ever been in (and i actually have travelled a little but, so i do know what i'm talking about) it is still different for people who are not born here. i am guessing. an example today was heartbreaking. my new mexican buddy and i are getting off the bus at the station (he moved aside to allow me to go first... his madre taught him manners we just don't see in canada) and he said, "many thanks for the ride" to the driver. the driver didn't even look over. so i say, "thank you." and the driver responded to me. now, was it just the fact that the driver didn't hear the spanish accented english, or was it that two people in a row said something or was it the fact that i had no accent.... who knows.... but i didn't feel great about it.
long story short, i ended up giving mr. mexico (his name is actually antonio) my email address and said if he had questions about stuff in the city to feel free to ask me and i'd help if i could. he then asked me about "niagra falls lake". heehee. i told him he meant, "niagara-on-the-lake". i have never been there myself, but told him that it was supposed to be very beautiful with a lot of bed and breakfast type places to stay in and that it's in the middle of ontario's wine growing area. antonio was shocked i'd never been there - told him i had no car, and he seemed to understand. then a good ole toronto boy (so stereotypical that he was wearing a leaf's jersey AND cap) piped in and started talking about niagra-on-the-lake and how to search for it online.
my stop rolled up, i felt my work there was done and i said bye-bye to antonio. a few hours later when i get home i see an email from him with the subject line "form keele". the email was sent not more than 1 hour after we met. he wanted to make sure he had the right email address.... i hope i haven't gotten myself a puppy dog....
[music | rob zombie, "living dead girl"]
after i first got there i sensed someone behind me and it was a man also waiting for the bus, but standing several feet away from the stop. whatever. then as i waited and waited and waited, i looked back at the man and said, "i guess we're stuck here now... it's too late to walk." meaning, if i started walking (as i often do) 2 or 3 busses will whiz mightily past me. the guy walked closer and agreed that "we prisoner now".
taking a second look at him, i realized that he was hunched up in his windbreaker like he was freezing to death. he tells me he's from mexico city and that this is very cold for him. it really wasn't all that bad out there today. more of what i'd call a lovely typical october day. (i love the autumn... but i think anyone reading this rambling entries may have picked up on that by now).
turns out he's here studying english and french and he wants to end up going to university here. he is staying the winter. i told him he needed to buy warmer clothes - because this isn't cold at all. i told him the secret to surviving an ontario winter - many many many layers and that he needed to buy wool. then the poor puppy says someone told him he could buy gloves at the sears in yorkdale mall. what the fuck? why is some moron sending him all the way out to yorkdale (from bloor and keele) to get bluddy gloves? urgh.
i test the waters and say, "you must have a lot of people telling you where to get things." and he responds that he lives alone and actually doesn't know many people and that it's hard for him to get the things he needs. i told him he just needed to start talking to people and they'd be happy to help. then he tells me the one thing that just dissolves my defenses, "i try but people often don't have time." for me, that's just awful. as a transplant to toronto, i do know what it's like to feel like the city couldn't give a flying fuck about you (now, that's an interesting visual). for many years after i first moved here i would look up at the looming and somewhat mocking cn tower and feel like it was laughing at me, "go back home you little alberta farm gurl. you don't belong."
and at least i had the ability to blend in quite easily... i am a white canadian-born female. no discrimination to deal with there. even though toronto is easily the MOST racially and culturally diverse city i've ever been in (and i actually have travelled a little but, so i do know what i'm talking about) it is still different for people who are not born here. i am guessing. an example today was heartbreaking. my new mexican buddy and i are getting off the bus at the station (he moved aside to allow me to go first... his madre taught him manners we just don't see in canada) and he said, "many thanks for the ride" to the driver. the driver didn't even look over. so i say, "thank you." and the driver responded to me. now, was it just the fact that the driver didn't hear the spanish accented english, or was it that two people in a row said something or was it the fact that i had no accent.... who knows.... but i didn't feel great about it.
long story short, i ended up giving mr. mexico (his name is actually antonio) my email address and said if he had questions about stuff in the city to feel free to ask me and i'd help if i could. he then asked me about "niagra falls lake". heehee. i told him he meant, "niagara-on-the-lake". i have never been there myself, but told him that it was supposed to be very beautiful with a lot of bed and breakfast type places to stay in and that it's in the middle of ontario's wine growing area. antonio was shocked i'd never been there - told him i had no car, and he seemed to understand. then a good ole toronto boy (so stereotypical that he was wearing a leaf's jersey AND cap) piped in and started talking about niagra-on-the-lake and how to search for it online.
my stop rolled up, i felt my work there was done and i said bye-bye to antonio. a few hours later when i get home i see an email from him with the subject line "form keele". the email was sent not more than 1 hour after we met. he wanted to make sure he had the right email address.... i hope i haven't gotten myself a puppy dog....
[music | rob zombie, "living dead girl"]
10.19.2005
my ipod has a sense of humour
do you ever feel like your ipod is having you on? sometimes the randomly generated playlist is just too genius to be mere.. well... randomness. i'm usually not a random kinda girl. i'm pretty serious about my music and what to listen to what i want to listen to. i rarely pick the shuffle option. i like to hear the music in the order that the artist intended it to be listened to.... some of them actually want to take you on a journey. the debate about song sequencing can get pretty passionate.
however, occasionally i just don't know what i want to listen to and let the random surprise me. often it will pick a song which will make me go to the album that song is on and all is right in my musical world again.
and then other times you get a sequence of songs you are just enjoying so much (for various reasons) that you just can't bear to tear yourself away. today was one of those days. for today i was treated to the following (and i am exposing my musical soul here, warts and all for you to see) :
golden years - david bowie (amazing to walk down the street to)
back in the u.s.s.r - the beatles (the airplane sounds were hilarious while i was on the bus as it sped down keele street)
butterfly (live) - david usher (an intense live song)
sailing - rod stewart (and song just to drift away on)
song of the sibyl - dead can dance (perfect for the rattling leaves this time of year)
famous blue raincoat (live) - tori amos (leonard cohen cover) (this song had me actually fighting tears as i was getting off at eglinton station. i really think tori should do an entire album of cohen songs. the world should be so lucky)
morpheus laughing - skinny puppy (bit of a juxtaposition - to be certain!)
sink the bismark - johnny horton (ok - at this point i think my ipod has gone mad - this is a country artist from the 1950's. he's actually quite brilliant - you should look him up for a treat)
jesus was my girl (live) - david usher (i'm totally smiling at this point... to go from a nationalistic "let's win the war boys!" song to david's lyrics screaming, "fuckings over, but i just keep coming")
concertina - tori amos (a pretty and gorgeous meditation on acoustic and electric elements in music)
toxic - britney spears (*blush* ok, alright.... it's true... i have brit's greatest hits on my ipod!)
mandolin - moist (to go from a very slick sounding track to this gorgeously understated song off of moist's last album... priceless)
hey kids - david usher (which then went to one of the most fun but sardonic statements off of "if god had curves")
girls on film - duran duran (and i nearly spit out my mouthful of latte when the clicking camera's of this classic duran track started)
lucky man - richard ashcroft (ahh - lucky men have girls on film... i see)
yellow - coldplay (this just reminded me that at one point i actually really did love coldplay. before they began to be overly profound and feeling like they needed to carry the burdon of the world on their musical might. *yawn*)
lazy days - robbie williams (robbie has a knack of writing crappy songs about absolutely NOTHING, but still manage to make them sound a little interesting)
bittersweet symphony - the verve (greatly overplayed in it's day... but really is a stunning piece of work)
these days - joy division (i was nearly home as bittersweet was ending and i wanted to turn off the music because i couldn't imagine anything more perfect... but then this joy division song came on. these days of autumn are upon us indeed)
however, occasionally i just don't know what i want to listen to and let the random surprise me. often it will pick a song which will make me go to the album that song is on and all is right in my musical world again.
and then other times you get a sequence of songs you are just enjoying so much (for various reasons) that you just can't bear to tear yourself away. today was one of those days. for today i was treated to the following (and i am exposing my musical soul here, warts and all for you to see) :
golden years - david bowie (amazing to walk down the street to)
back in the u.s.s.r - the beatles (the airplane sounds were hilarious while i was on the bus as it sped down keele street)
butterfly (live) - david usher (an intense live song)
sailing - rod stewart (and song just to drift away on)
song of the sibyl - dead can dance (perfect for the rattling leaves this time of year)
famous blue raincoat (live) - tori amos (leonard cohen cover) (this song had me actually fighting tears as i was getting off at eglinton station. i really think tori should do an entire album of cohen songs. the world should be so lucky)
morpheus laughing - skinny puppy (bit of a juxtaposition - to be certain!)
sink the bismark - johnny horton (ok - at this point i think my ipod has gone mad - this is a country artist from the 1950's. he's actually quite brilliant - you should look him up for a treat)
jesus was my girl (live) - david usher (i'm totally smiling at this point... to go from a nationalistic "let's win the war boys!" song to david's lyrics screaming, "fuckings over, but i just keep coming")
concertina - tori amos (a pretty and gorgeous meditation on acoustic and electric elements in music)
toxic - britney spears (*blush* ok, alright.... it's true... i have brit's greatest hits on my ipod!)
mandolin - moist (to go from a very slick sounding track to this gorgeously understated song off of moist's last album... priceless)
hey kids - david usher (which then went to one of the most fun but sardonic statements off of "if god had curves")
girls on film - duran duran (and i nearly spit out my mouthful of latte when the clicking camera's of this classic duran track started)
lucky man - richard ashcroft (ahh - lucky men have girls on film... i see)
yellow - coldplay (this just reminded me that at one point i actually really did love coldplay. before they began to be overly profound and feeling like they needed to carry the burdon of the world on their musical might. *yawn*)
lazy days - robbie williams (robbie has a knack of writing crappy songs about absolutely NOTHING, but still manage to make them sound a little interesting)
bittersweet symphony - the verve (greatly overplayed in it's day... but really is a stunning piece of work)
these days - joy division (i was nearly home as bittersweet was ending and i wanted to turn off the music because i couldn't imagine anything more perfect... but then this joy division song came on. these days of autumn are upon us indeed)
10.18.2005
the tea party is no longer a party
of the three... there are now only two left... their lead singer jeff martin decided to publically announce that he's left the band and that he is interested in recording and touring his own solo music (pardon me if i'm mistaken... but wasn't all the tea party music pretty much written solely by mr. martin?)
at first glance, it might look like when david usher begain his solo career and left moist behind. but it's really not. first, david never made any sort of press release saying he's taking his mike stand and leaving (how anti-david the concept of a press release is!). and david's career sort of organically grew... he did a solo album while still in the band (the incredible 'little songs') and then went on to record the best moist album (mercedes 5 & dime) before beginning to release sucessive solo albums. and david still works with most (often all) members of moist. it does not seem that way with jeff martin. something must of happened... oohh... gossip gossip!
i'm curious to see what happens out of this. just as long as martin doesn't steal any of david's precious airtime.
interesting side-note... this news hasn't even hit their website yet!
edit : turns out it looks a wee bit nasty after all. one of the other band members has apparently issued a statement where he said that neither he or the other guy knew this was happening. ooh, the intrigue... or not. whatever. maybe we will have to suffer through a ctv produced "rockstar : the tea party" next summer! ahhhh, i kill me.
[music | tea party, "writing's on the wall"] (i'm not really listening to this - ewwww- but how true this sentiment ended up being)
at first glance, it might look like when david usher begain his solo career and left moist behind. but it's really not. first, david never made any sort of press release saying he's taking his mike stand and leaving (how anti-david the concept of a press release is!). and david's career sort of organically grew... he did a solo album while still in the band (the incredible 'little songs') and then went on to record the best moist album (mercedes 5 & dime) before beginning to release sucessive solo albums. and david still works with most (often all) members of moist. it does not seem that way with jeff martin. something must of happened... oohh... gossip gossip!
i'm curious to see what happens out of this. just as long as martin doesn't steal any of david's precious airtime.
interesting side-note... this news hasn't even hit their website yet!
edit : turns out it looks a wee bit nasty after all. one of the other band members has apparently issued a statement where he said that neither he or the other guy knew this was happening. ooh, the intrigue... or not. whatever. maybe we will have to suffer through a ctv produced "rockstar : the tea party" next summer! ahhhh, i kill me.
[music | tea party, "writing's on the wall"] (i'm not really listening to this - ewwww- but how true this sentiment ended up being)
let me count the ways
today is a great day... :) here are some things that are going on to make it such :
i got a solid offer from someone to buy my old laptop. i've been trying (albeit half-heartedly) for several months now to sell my old compaq 725. it's really still a great machine - i just outgrew it... my bluddy ipod could hold more songs than it could!
i am getting a cheque dropped off this afternoon. i have been doing some work for a music producer and he's coming by to drop off a cheque this afternoon. so happy for that. he's been out of town working an album in vancouver... so it will be good to have the money again. the hungry monster that lives in my visa will be very happy to see it. also, he's picking up 3 boxes of random shit that i no longer need anymore. glory be. his basement is much larger than my dining room.
i am going to new york city in 10 days! you see... david usher (yes, him) is playing a small intimate show in new york at the end of october. i'm am just crazy enough to make the trip. granted - nyc is worth the trip all on it's own, but david playing new material before he records it is just too amazing of an opportunity to pass up.
i am going to montreal in 4 days! yippee! montreal doesn't actually cost much by train and it's a lovely train ride indeed. especially this time of year.... in the city, the leaves are not really turning yet... there are some yellows and some faded orangey-browns - but i really love to see the gorgeous spanish skirt colours of red, gold, orange, rust, ochre, brown. and the train will afford me that opportunity. oh yes, and also, david is playing montreal on the 22nd.
i am seeing a david usher show tomorrow night. oh to be living in toronto... where i am in such close proximity to many cities. it's a very good thing. the phoenix show will be the first one since the labour day free show - and that one was only 30 minutes. it will be the first full show in a very long time.
david usher in hamilton on friday. (do you see a trend emerging?) normally, i would not be able to make this show - so i am just really really thrilled that i am going. a super nice person has offered me and audrey a ride. i am just so thrilled over that! actually, i think i was an assey-jerk and asked if i could hitch a ride... not a proud moment... but i get to go to the show! see, actually, i thought it was going to be a theatre show - those are just so special. i don't think it will end up being one as it's a general admission gig... oh well. it's still a gig.
there are other things that are making me happy today - but i will keep those to myself for now.... gotta keep a little mystery....
[music | gwen stefani, "cool"]
i got a solid offer from someone to buy my old laptop. i've been trying (albeit half-heartedly) for several months now to sell my old compaq 725. it's really still a great machine - i just outgrew it... my bluddy ipod could hold more songs than it could!
i am getting a cheque dropped off this afternoon. i have been doing some work for a music producer and he's coming by to drop off a cheque this afternoon. so happy for that. he's been out of town working an album in vancouver... so it will be good to have the money again. the hungry monster that lives in my visa will be very happy to see it. also, he's picking up 3 boxes of random shit that i no longer need anymore. glory be. his basement is much larger than my dining room.
i am going to new york city in 10 days! you see... david usher (yes, him) is playing a small intimate show in new york at the end of october. i'm am just crazy enough to make the trip. granted - nyc is worth the trip all on it's own, but david playing new material before he records it is just too amazing of an opportunity to pass up.
i am going to montreal in 4 days! yippee! montreal doesn't actually cost much by train and it's a lovely train ride indeed. especially this time of year.... in the city, the leaves are not really turning yet... there are some yellows and some faded orangey-browns - but i really love to see the gorgeous spanish skirt colours of red, gold, orange, rust, ochre, brown. and the train will afford me that opportunity. oh yes, and also, david is playing montreal on the 22nd.
i am seeing a david usher show tomorrow night. oh to be living in toronto... where i am in such close proximity to many cities. it's a very good thing. the phoenix show will be the first one since the labour day free show - and that one was only 30 minutes. it will be the first full show in a very long time.
david usher in hamilton on friday. (do you see a trend emerging?) normally, i would not be able to make this show - so i am just really really thrilled that i am going. a super nice person has offered me and audrey a ride. i am just so thrilled over that! actually, i think i was an assey-jerk and asked if i could hitch a ride... not a proud moment... but i get to go to the show! see, actually, i thought it was going to be a theatre show - those are just so special. i don't think it will end up being one as it's a general admission gig... oh well. it's still a gig.
there are other things that are making me happy today - but i will keep those to myself for now.... gotta keep a little mystery....
[music | gwen stefani, "cool"]
10.17.2005
gender bender
i really disappointed myself today. yes, indeed, i surely did. you see - today, for the first time ever, i bought gender-specific gifts for kate and josh (my niece and nephew). kate is 5 and josh is 3. they are bright kids and they are live-wires... they literally just never stop going until they sleep. but i guess all kiddlings are like that.
when they first came along i made sure i was a good aunt. as i live in toronto and they live in alberta, i really took time and effort to pick the just right gifts for them. i really wanted them to love me (or just remember me) even though they didn't get to see me very often. very carefully i would pick the right books to expand their little minds and to introduce them to some classic tales that are so often today over looked in favour of stories about blues clues and some explorer named dora.
and when i wasn't buying them books - i bought clothes. kids clothes are pretty damned adorable. at any rate - there were no frivolous toys from aunt jo... and definitely no dolls for kate and no trucks for josh. i hate the whole idea of just falling into the normal and standard gender expected ideas and thoughts. a girl wears pink, a boy wears blue. a girl plays with barbies so she can learn to nurture, a boy with legos so he can learn to build the universe. i don't have kids myself - so there is a real possibility that i could just be full of it!
anyway... this year rolls along and i find myself looking for affordable gifts. seems that my siblings have decided spawn themselves with quite a bit of regularity (my brother has 3 little demon seeds and my sister has one with another on the way). the more kids they have - the less my generosity grows! when they first came along, i spent upwards of 60.00 on each of them. if i did that now, well, it would be unrealistic in my current state of affairs!
so i discovered what limited funds equal. they equal gender toys. shudder. i know. i am sitting here in a pit of self-loathing. urgh. come december 25th, kate will find herself with a my pretty pony, a clickit (girl lego) kit to build necklaces, bracelets and hair clips. josh will find himself with a monster truck (purple with giant tires) and a series of 3 cars that come enclosed in 3 plastic eggs (like kinder eggs, but with die-cast cars). my only concession at a cool non-gender gift was the fact that they are both getting glow in the dark dinosaurs. a triceretops for kate (happens to be her fave, or at least was in august) and a t-rex for josh (that was his fave in august too).
i can take some consolation in the fact that josh will love his little cars and truck... he is such a classic boy. and kate likes art projects - so she should get off on the necklace making bit... and she seems to be developing a love for horses... so the my pretty pony should be just about right.
oh well - next year i can get back to more non-traditional gifts.
[music | david usher, "butterfly" live]
when they first came along i made sure i was a good aunt. as i live in toronto and they live in alberta, i really took time and effort to pick the just right gifts for them. i really wanted them to love me (or just remember me) even though they didn't get to see me very often. very carefully i would pick the right books to expand their little minds and to introduce them to some classic tales that are so often today over looked in favour of stories about blues clues and some explorer named dora.and when i wasn't buying them books - i bought clothes. kids clothes are pretty damned adorable. at any rate - there were no frivolous toys from aunt jo... and definitely no dolls for kate and no trucks for josh. i hate the whole idea of just falling into the normal and standard gender expected ideas and thoughts. a girl wears pink, a boy wears blue. a girl plays with barbies so she can learn to nurture, a boy with legos so he can learn to build the universe. i don't have kids myself - so there is a real possibility that i could just be full of it!
anyway... this year rolls along and i find myself looking for affordable gifts. seems that my siblings have decided spawn themselves with quite a bit of regularity (my brother has 3 little demon seeds and my sister has one with another on the way). the more kids they have - the less my generosity grows! when they first came along, i spent upwards of 60.00 on each of them. if i did that now, well, it would be unrealistic in my current state of affairs!
so i discovered what limited funds equal. they equal gender toys. shudder. i know. i am sitting here in a pit of self-loathing. urgh. come december 25th, kate will find herself with a my pretty pony, a clickit (girl lego) kit to build necklaces, bracelets and hair clips. josh will find himself with a monster truck (purple with giant tires) and a series of 3 cars that come enclosed in 3 plastic eggs (like kinder eggs, but with die-cast cars). my only concession at a cool non-gender gift was the fact that they are both getting glow in the dark dinosaurs. a triceretops for kate (happens to be her fave, or at least was in august) and a t-rex for josh (that was his fave in august too).
i can take some consolation in the fact that josh will love his little cars and truck... he is such a classic boy. and kate likes art projects - so she should get off on the necklace making bit... and she seems to be developing a love for horses... so the my pretty pony should be just about right.
oh well - next year i can get back to more non-traditional gifts.
[music | david usher, "butterfly" live]
10.16.2005
star searching
growing up i continually found myself drawn to things a bit mysterious, arcane and occulty. things that didn't really make a lot of sense on the surface or analytically - but when you peeked beneath that sharp surface there was a whole other universe living and breathing and sparkling. and it called to me from the earliest age.
as a toddler, i really remember bits and pieces of a past-life experience - and it was a life where i was surrounded by horses. a life where i was so intimately involved with horses that for years i would pretend i was a horse. my early drawings weren't of stick people - but of stick horses... if you ask my mom, she'll agree and she probably has some to pull out to show you. the very first articulated word i ever said was 'horse'. disappointing both my mom and dad - they both were hoping i'd say mumma or dadda first. haha. not me! right from the get go, i was pulling myself in a different direction.
one of the most accepted of the 'other' arts is astrology. whether people laugh and think it's a funny game or whether people pay hundreds of dollars to have their charts cast or whether they read their daily or weekly horoscopes in newspapers, magazines or websites - most people are aware of astrology and most people can tell you their sign.
i am a taurus. strong, stubborn and determined. loyal to a fault, but beware the fool that dares cross a bull... you may be eventually forgiven - but you will forever have a little caution flag by your name. bulls are loyal, honest and fair - and are very hurt when we come across folks who are not.
recently i found a site that gives you a quite detailed description of your natal chart (all you need to do is punch in your date, time and location of birth) with all of the corresponding planetary influences. what fun! here's a little cut and pasting from mine. my comments are in green.
Sun in Taurus (The sun represents vitality, a sense of individuality and outward-shining creative energy)
She is strong-willed and conceited. She has charm, and is tolerant and stoical. She likes pleasure and the good things of Life. Appreciates the Arts.
Sun in conjunction with Mercury indicates that she is intelligent and knows what she wants. Is a good organizer, she likes moving, travel. She likes literature.
Weaknesses: obstinacy, laziness. She is too materialistic, and is a snob. She is greedy and proud.
conceited? ouch! how does that fall into the good points section! lol. and if that doesn't get you - how about the fact that i'm greedy! i can be lazy at times.... this i know well. and i do love to travel, to organize and to read.
Moon in Pisces (The moon represents a reaction, unconscious pre-destination, and the self-image)
Imaginative, sharp insights. She is impressionable, with an abundant imagination. Multiple births. (my mom's father was an identical twin - the family had heard that twins travelled from the father to the daughter's female children. of the 4 potential daughters, only one has had kids so far (my sister) no twins yet. suppose they're waiting for me!)
Weaknesses: troubles caused by too much sentimentality, worries, problems, unhealthy imagination.
She has a tendency to bad dreams. Is interested in the occult. (i am the nightmare queen and i am indeed interested in the occult)
Mercury in Aries (Mercury represents communication and logical spirit)
She argues, disputes, discusses, answers back. Lively mind which quickly understands a given situation. She is very resourceful and capable. (all skills which were honed to a fine point while growing up debating politics and ideologies with my very intelligent and forceful right-wing conservative father)
Weaknesses: she is impetuous, hot-headed, petulant. Impatient and hasty, which causes problems due to lack of foresight before acting. (i actually don't see any of these points in myself. i can be impatient, but am trying to cultivate more serenity!)
Her thirst for knowledge is never satisfied. She is full of mental activity. She undertakes exhaustive studies, always studying for pleasure. Likes journeys to faraway places, and can go to live abroad. (so true.... i am a little research nerd. the more depth with which i understand a topic, the better i feel about it. and nearly everytime i travel i end up thinking that i'd love to live there)
Venus in Pisces (Venus represents an interest for emotions and values, exchange and sharing with others)
Very sentimental. She is easily moved. She is melancholic, romantic. When she loves, it is the most generous of loves.
Weaknesses: risky and confused loves, insane hopes. (gotta love seeing the word insane in there)
Not frightened by the unknown, death. She has a peaceful and happy end. Natural and late death. Possible inheritance. (possible inheritance - does that mean i leave one, or i get one?)
She is good-hearted, generous and has a good character. She likes well-being, comfort, a life without problems. She has good relations with her circle. She is easy to approach.
Her professional life is unstable. She has a taste for the Arts, is a dreamer, is easily influenced and romantic. She is emotional and very sensitive. (professional life unstable - how true that is. i seem to have a knack for picking places that go under or merge or just end up being a hell hole for some other reason. sigh. i just want a job i can go to an feel good about myself. sigh.)
Mars in Capricorn (Mars represents the desire for action and physical energy)
She is very firm, controls herself, observes and is very watchful. She has a great sense of responsibility.
Spontaneous nature. She takes professional risks. A great worker, she likes everything that can be done quickly, and detests things that hang around for a long time. It is the same for her emotional life: no candy-floss or fine speeches, she gets directly to the point.
She is ambitious, has a great capacity for work, has self-confidence and goes to the end of her plans. (there were a lot of negatives here too... i cut them out! i guess that's part of the conceit and excessive self-confidence. however i do take professional risks. i never really thought i was a risk-taker, but it turns out i am. i have made some very hard decisions and forced change on myself. putting me in sink or swim situations twice in my life. both times, i swam and learned a lot about myself. yey me.)
Jupiter in Sagittarius (Jupiter represents expansion and grace)
She is agreeable, seductive, engaging and generous.
She likes and believes in justice. She is an optimist and is generous. Professional success is rapid and helped by the family. Family life is very important for her. She likes comfort, well-being at home. She knows how to entertain in style and above all with pleasure. She is very generous and altruistic, helping people in difficulty or sick people. She knows how to listen or, at least, how to give that impression. She is a dreamer, with lots of imagination: she likes the Arts.
(i like how this makes me sound like the life of the party and the soul of any social gathering... haha. i think i agree with some of this. i love people to enjoy the food i cook and i really do think that people do enjoy coming to my home for meals. we light candles, have a nice red and over-indulge on yummy foods.)
Saturn in Taurus (Saturn represents contraction and effort)
Slow but persistent in action. Perseverance of effort, assiduity, in a regular and set manner.
Weaknesses: she perseveres, insisting on her way but is intransigent. Not very expansive.
She is serious, methodical, persevering. She perseveres, achieves her projects through hard work. (all work and no play makes jodi a dull gurl. wow. i feel sapped of energy and life and fun by just reading this.)
Uranus in Libra (Uranus represents individual liberty, egoistic liberty)
Well-developed artistic leanings. Her balance can be upset by too great an independence. (these two statements are me in a nutshell. i am very very independent - i tend to do things on my own and it inevitably ends up being the harder way of doing things. and arts... i'm not a creator of the arts - but i am one who loves to serve the arts.)
She has a lot of flair. She must have an out-of-the-ordinary job, in which case all goes well: otherwise, she will often change jobs and will have financial problems. (sigh, so true. i am very particular about my job and my career. and as a result, i do have financial problems.)
Neptune in Sagittarius (Neptune represents transcendental liberty, non-egoistic liberty)
Likes long voyages, things foreign, water. (yes, yes and yes)
She succeeds thanks to brilliant and unusual ideas. She is very much influenced by her mother. (i am very influenced by my mother in the fact that i am very concious that i have not picked her life - that is a huge influence on me. she is a kind hearted person with a lot to give, but she did not chose a life that makes her completely happy)
a general round up of the planets and the houses in my chart :
Will not earn a lot of money through work. (i have come to accept that)
She looks for refined unproblematic people, with whom to have long discussions, without raised voices of any kind. (i actively seek to REMOVE drama from my life. takes too much energy that i'm just not willing to give. i had a lot of drama in my childhood and now i will walk away from those who try to give it to me now. not open for drama.)
Family rows will be frequent. Might receive an inheritance. (haha, what did i just write above this... :) and inheritance again... hmmm... my 3 remaining grandparents recently passed over and i did not recieve an inheritance. if i'm to get one from my parents - let it not be for many many many years.)
Discussions about an inheritance. Be careful of water. (again with the inheritance. shudder.)
Likes meeting, ceaselessly discussing with well-informed people, full of ideas. (sounds like a dream evening for me. probably one in which i've made the food and lit the candles)
A few problems with authority or someone in charge. (haha! yes, indeed. if the person in charge is smart and fair, no problems. if they seem dull or weak or makes dumb decisions, i have problems with them.)
i realized this has been an epic post. and really probably not interesting to anyone but myself. however, i'd recommend this site to anyone who has even a passing interest in astrology.
[music | depeche mode, "waiting for the night"]
as a toddler, i really remember bits and pieces of a past-life experience - and it was a life where i was surrounded by horses. a life where i was so intimately involved with horses that for years i would pretend i was a horse. my early drawings weren't of stick people - but of stick horses... if you ask my mom, she'll agree and she probably has some to pull out to show you. the very first articulated word i ever said was 'horse'. disappointing both my mom and dad - they both were hoping i'd say mumma or dadda first. haha. not me! right from the get go, i was pulling myself in a different direction.
one of the most accepted of the 'other' arts is astrology. whether people laugh and think it's a funny game or whether people pay hundreds of dollars to have their charts cast or whether they read their daily or weekly horoscopes in newspapers, magazines or websites - most people are aware of astrology and most people can tell you their sign.i am a taurus. strong, stubborn and determined. loyal to a fault, but beware the fool that dares cross a bull... you may be eventually forgiven - but you will forever have a little caution flag by your name. bulls are loyal, honest and fair - and are very hurt when we come across folks who are not.
recently i found a site that gives you a quite detailed description of your natal chart (all you need to do is punch in your date, time and location of birth) with all of the corresponding planetary influences. what fun! here's a little cut and pasting from mine. my comments are in green.
Sun in Taurus (The sun represents vitality, a sense of individuality and outward-shining creative energy)
She is strong-willed and conceited. She has charm, and is tolerant and stoical. She likes pleasure and the good things of Life. Appreciates the Arts.
Sun in conjunction with Mercury indicates that she is intelligent and knows what she wants. Is a good organizer, she likes moving, travel. She likes literature.
Weaknesses: obstinacy, laziness. She is too materialistic, and is a snob. She is greedy and proud.
conceited? ouch! how does that fall into the good points section! lol. and if that doesn't get you - how about the fact that i'm greedy! i can be lazy at times.... this i know well. and i do love to travel, to organize and to read.
Moon in Pisces (The moon represents a reaction, unconscious pre-destination, and the self-image)
Imaginative, sharp insights. She is impressionable, with an abundant imagination. Multiple births. (my mom's father was an identical twin - the family had heard that twins travelled from the father to the daughter's female children. of the 4 potential daughters, only one has had kids so far (my sister) no twins yet. suppose they're waiting for me!)
Weaknesses: troubles caused by too much sentimentality, worries, problems, unhealthy imagination.
She has a tendency to bad dreams. Is interested in the occult. (i am the nightmare queen and i am indeed interested in the occult)
Mercury in Aries (Mercury represents communication and logical spirit)
She argues, disputes, discusses, answers back. Lively mind which quickly understands a given situation. She is very resourceful and capable. (all skills which were honed to a fine point while growing up debating politics and ideologies with my very intelligent and forceful right-wing conservative father)
Weaknesses: she is impetuous, hot-headed, petulant. Impatient and hasty, which causes problems due to lack of foresight before acting. (i actually don't see any of these points in myself. i can be impatient, but am trying to cultivate more serenity!)
Her thirst for knowledge is never satisfied. She is full of mental activity. She undertakes exhaustive studies, always studying for pleasure. Likes journeys to faraway places, and can go to live abroad. (so true.... i am a little research nerd. the more depth with which i understand a topic, the better i feel about it. and nearly everytime i travel i end up thinking that i'd love to live there)
Venus in Pisces (Venus represents an interest for emotions and values, exchange and sharing with others)
Very sentimental. She is easily moved. She is melancholic, romantic. When she loves, it is the most generous of loves.
Weaknesses: risky and confused loves, insane hopes. (gotta love seeing the word insane in there)
Not frightened by the unknown, death. She has a peaceful and happy end. Natural and late death. Possible inheritance. (possible inheritance - does that mean i leave one, or i get one?)
She is good-hearted, generous and has a good character. She likes well-being, comfort, a life without problems. She has good relations with her circle. She is easy to approach.
Her professional life is unstable. She has a taste for the Arts, is a dreamer, is easily influenced and romantic. She is emotional and very sensitive. (professional life unstable - how true that is. i seem to have a knack for picking places that go under or merge or just end up being a hell hole for some other reason. sigh. i just want a job i can go to an feel good about myself. sigh.)
Mars in Capricorn (Mars represents the desire for action and physical energy)
She is very firm, controls herself, observes and is very watchful. She has a great sense of responsibility.
Spontaneous nature. She takes professional risks. A great worker, she likes everything that can be done quickly, and detests things that hang around for a long time. It is the same for her emotional life: no candy-floss or fine speeches, she gets directly to the point.
She is ambitious, has a great capacity for work, has self-confidence and goes to the end of her plans. (there were a lot of negatives here too... i cut them out! i guess that's part of the conceit and excessive self-confidence. however i do take professional risks. i never really thought i was a risk-taker, but it turns out i am. i have made some very hard decisions and forced change on myself. putting me in sink or swim situations twice in my life. both times, i swam and learned a lot about myself. yey me.)
Jupiter in Sagittarius (Jupiter represents expansion and grace)
She is agreeable, seductive, engaging and generous.
She likes and believes in justice. She is an optimist and is generous. Professional success is rapid and helped by the family. Family life is very important for her. She likes comfort, well-being at home. She knows how to entertain in style and above all with pleasure. She is very generous and altruistic, helping people in difficulty or sick people. She knows how to listen or, at least, how to give that impression. She is a dreamer, with lots of imagination: she likes the Arts.
(i like how this makes me sound like the life of the party and the soul of any social gathering... haha. i think i agree with some of this. i love people to enjoy the food i cook and i really do think that people do enjoy coming to my home for meals. we light candles, have a nice red and over-indulge on yummy foods.)
Saturn in Taurus (Saturn represents contraction and effort)
Slow but persistent in action. Perseverance of effort, assiduity, in a regular and set manner.
Weaknesses: she perseveres, insisting on her way but is intransigent. Not very expansive.
She is serious, methodical, persevering. She perseveres, achieves her projects through hard work. (all work and no play makes jodi a dull gurl. wow. i feel sapped of energy and life and fun by just reading this.)
Uranus in Libra (Uranus represents individual liberty, egoistic liberty)
Well-developed artistic leanings. Her balance can be upset by too great an independence. (these two statements are me in a nutshell. i am very very independent - i tend to do things on my own and it inevitably ends up being the harder way of doing things. and arts... i'm not a creator of the arts - but i am one who loves to serve the arts.)
She has a lot of flair. She must have an out-of-the-ordinary job, in which case all goes well: otherwise, she will often change jobs and will have financial problems. (sigh, so true. i am very particular about my job and my career. and as a result, i do have financial problems.)
Neptune in Sagittarius (Neptune represents transcendental liberty, non-egoistic liberty)
Likes long voyages, things foreign, water. (yes, yes and yes)
She succeeds thanks to brilliant and unusual ideas. She is very much influenced by her mother. (i am very influenced by my mother in the fact that i am very concious that i have not picked her life - that is a huge influence on me. she is a kind hearted person with a lot to give, but she did not chose a life that makes her completely happy)
a general round up of the planets and the houses in my chart :
Will not earn a lot of money through work. (i have come to accept that)
She looks for refined unproblematic people, with whom to have long discussions, without raised voices of any kind. (i actively seek to REMOVE drama from my life. takes too much energy that i'm just not willing to give. i had a lot of drama in my childhood and now i will walk away from those who try to give it to me now. not open for drama.)
Family rows will be frequent. Might receive an inheritance. (haha, what did i just write above this... :) and inheritance again... hmmm... my 3 remaining grandparents recently passed over and i did not recieve an inheritance. if i'm to get one from my parents - let it not be for many many many years.)
Discussions about an inheritance. Be careful of water. (again with the inheritance. shudder.)
Likes meeting, ceaselessly discussing with well-informed people, full of ideas. (sounds like a dream evening for me. probably one in which i've made the food and lit the candles)
A few problems with authority or someone in charge. (haha! yes, indeed. if the person in charge is smart and fair, no problems. if they seem dull or weak or makes dumb decisions, i have problems with them.)
i realized this has been an epic post. and really probably not interesting to anyone but myself. however, i'd recommend this site to anyone who has even a passing interest in astrology.
[music | depeche mode, "waiting for the night"]
10.15.2005
meet the new me
.i am pretty fucking cool.
and my monster ass-kicking self is pretty righteous too
[music | the warlocks, "it's just like surgery"]
10.14.2005
summer 2005 & alberta in photos
i was cleaning through my picture folders and realized that it's been a while since posting a wack of photos.... so, without further ado... i hereby present - summer 2005.
much earlier this year (may?) i bought 6 fish for the wee pond in the back yard. half of them were assigned to the compose heap and were replaced with two new ones. now i have 5 fish and one of them is actually big enough to be a meal! if i wasn't veggie that is....
i have always had a weakness for morning glories and their sister plants, the moonflowers. this year i planted 4 blue plants and 4 red. the blues ended up being absolutely huge - the blooms were about the size of a tea cup plate. next year i can see the yard being absolutely covered with the damn things.
a spider took up residence on the front steps. she moved her web from the ornamental trees, to the flower pot and then back to the ornamental trees. at one point we were convinced that she was attempting to spin a web large enough to catch a person.... luckily, she did not suceed... then again, we do have a new postman these days...
the newest addition to the house is dear brat zelda. she has become a bathroom troll, seems you can't attempt to relieve yourself without a kitten passing you some toilet paper.
and just to show that i'm not playing favourites... here is the reigning king of the house - raja... the only male worthy of living with me, well, unless you are counting sushi, the betta fish....
and of course this summer i went back to my parent's farm. this is the old chicken barn, which has also been home to sheep, pigs and one of my horses when he needed to be weaned from his mummy. as a kid, i used to dare my city cousins to jump from the windows... and by city - i mean the town of 5,000! only once did one of them twist their ankles... heehee.
my lame attempt at an 'art' shot. it's just an old piece of farm equipment - i think it might of been a livestock feeder in another life. it was a lovely sunny day. there is just something about alberta blue sky and alberta blazing sun that just can't be duplicated.
my dad owns several hundred head of cattle in the summer (the number is much less in the winter, as they end up going to auction markets when canada is not in the grips of mad cow frenzy). this is one of 8 bulls that he has at the moment. it's something else standing 3 feet away from an animal that weighs about 1,800 pounds and is basically all muscle.
and here is one of the many calves that has probably either been sold already, or is wintering on my dad's farm. calves are just so adorable!
several years ago my parents planted hundreds of trees on the farm and at the same time, my dad put in some rose bushes for my mom. they are basically left to fend for themselves and as you can see, are doing quite well on their own.
while i was home, there seemed to be an absolute infestation of these pink, orange and brown butterflies. apparently they are called 'painted ladies' and come to alberta from california every 12 years or so. according to local gossip, the butterflies had missed the last migration because the weather sucked. they were out in force this august... i spent about an hour hunting butterflies with my digital camera.... but i won't subject you to all the shots!
much earlier this year (may?) i bought 6 fish for the wee pond in the back yard. half of them were assigned to the compose heap and were replaced with two new ones. now i have 5 fish and one of them is actually big enough to be a meal! if i wasn't veggie that is....
i have always had a weakness for morning glories and their sister plants, the moonflowers. this year i planted 4 blue plants and 4 red. the blues ended up being absolutely huge - the blooms were about the size of a tea cup plate. next year i can see the yard being absolutely covered with the damn things.
a spider took up residence on the front steps. she moved her web from the ornamental trees, to the flower pot and then back to the ornamental trees. at one point we were convinced that she was attempting to spin a web large enough to catch a person.... luckily, she did not suceed... then again, we do have a new postman these days...
the newest addition to the house is dear brat zelda. she has become a bathroom troll, seems you can't attempt to relieve yourself without a kitten passing you some toilet paper.
and just to show that i'm not playing favourites... here is the reigning king of the house - raja... the only male worthy of living with me, well, unless you are counting sushi, the betta fish....
and of course this summer i went back to my parent's farm. this is the old chicken barn, which has also been home to sheep, pigs and one of my horses when he needed to be weaned from his mummy. as a kid, i used to dare my city cousins to jump from the windows... and by city - i mean the town of 5,000! only once did one of them twist their ankles... heehee.
my lame attempt at an 'art' shot. it's just an old piece of farm equipment - i think it might of been a livestock feeder in another life. it was a lovely sunny day. there is just something about alberta blue sky and alberta blazing sun that just can't be duplicated.
my dad owns several hundred head of cattle in the summer (the number is much less in the winter, as they end up going to auction markets when canada is not in the grips of mad cow frenzy). this is one of 8 bulls that he has at the moment. it's something else standing 3 feet away from an animal that weighs about 1,800 pounds and is basically all muscle.
and here is one of the many calves that has probably either been sold already, or is wintering on my dad's farm. calves are just so adorable!
several years ago my parents planted hundreds of trees on the farm and at the same time, my dad put in some rose bushes for my mom. they are basically left to fend for themselves and as you can see, are doing quite well on their own.
while i was home, there seemed to be an absolute infestation of these pink, orange and brown butterflies. apparently they are called 'painted ladies' and come to alberta from california every 12 years or so. according to local gossip, the butterflies had missed the last migration because the weather sucked. they were out in force this august... i spent about an hour hunting butterflies with my digital camera.... but i won't subject you to all the shots![music | leonard cohen, "suzanne"]
10.13.2005
bush speech
hobbits | the letter j | the internets | sharks
hobbits may have actually existed? scientists are finding bones of smallish human beings in caves in an indonesian island. the scientists are calling them 'hobbits'. if this is true, my already tenuous grasp of reality will be further in jeopardy.... ;-) as a wee gurl in alberta, maybe, just maybe i stopped trying to get my horses to speak to me too soon!
a couple in america has just had their 16th child - and they want to start trying for another one right away. they are from (you guessed it) arkansas and apparently the father has aspirations of political office. all 16 kiddlings have names starting with the letter 'j'. somewhat similar to my family - except for my parents stopped at 3 j's. thank the gods. however, i was slightly alarmed when my brother named one of his kids josh! his other two are kaitlin and kelly... so the j-dynasty is over... but there seems to be some sort of attempt to found a k-dynasty.
and did you know that technically, america controls the internet? and that the un is getting involved? and that other nations are severly pissed? no, neither did i. but it's an interesting thought - the fact that something that really is supposed to be a global tool for the free flow of information and ideas is actually governed by a country that for the past 6 years or so has essentially been pulling back from the rest of the world. that and the fact that the man running the country that runs the internet calls it "the internets".
and finally and most cool - great white sharks might use stars to navigate. recently a random great white was tagged off the coast of south africa and this shark ended up on a migration trek to australia - over 12,000 miles. marine biologists had no idea or proof (but tiny hunches) that the great whites travelled this far. it's possible that this girl shark headed to aussie to find a boy shark before returning to south africa 9 months later. while on her trek, she dove deeper than 3,000 metres (a record for great whites) but spent more than half of her trip swimming along the ocean surface, leading to the celestial navigation theory. there were 30 sharks tagged at the same time and this one was the only one to make this trip... but i highly doubt that she is the lone visionary of all the sharks. or then again, maybe the boy sharks in her neck of the woods were just all jerks and she felt she needed to get out to meet someone new... not so unrelatable!
[music | ladytron, "destroy everything you touch"]
a couple in america has just had their 16th child - and they want to start trying for another one right away. they are from (you guessed it) arkansas and apparently the father has aspirations of political office. all 16 kiddlings have names starting with the letter 'j'. somewhat similar to my family - except for my parents stopped at 3 j's. thank the gods. however, i was slightly alarmed when my brother named one of his kids josh! his other two are kaitlin and kelly... so the j-dynasty is over... but there seems to be some sort of attempt to found a k-dynasty.
and did you know that technically, america controls the internet? and that the un is getting involved? and that other nations are severly pissed? no, neither did i. but it's an interesting thought - the fact that something that really is supposed to be a global tool for the free flow of information and ideas is actually governed by a country that for the past 6 years or so has essentially been pulling back from the rest of the world. that and the fact that the man running the country that runs the internet calls it "the internets".
and finally and most cool - great white sharks might use stars to navigate. recently a random great white was tagged off the coast of south africa and this shark ended up on a migration trek to australia - over 12,000 miles. marine biologists had no idea or proof (but tiny hunches) that the great whites travelled this far. it's possible that this girl shark headed to aussie to find a boy shark before returning to south africa 9 months later. while on her trek, she dove deeper than 3,000 metres (a record for great whites) but spent more than half of her trip swimming along the ocean surface, leading to the celestial navigation theory. there were 30 sharks tagged at the same time and this one was the only one to make this trip... but i highly doubt that she is the lone visionary of all the sharks. or then again, maybe the boy sharks in her neck of the woods were just all jerks and she felt she needed to get out to meet someone new... not so unrelatable!
[music | ladytron, "destroy everything you touch"]
10.12.2005
dungeons and dragons camp
time for a music round-up....
this friday i am going to see my friend alana kurtis play at holy joe's.... she hits the stage at about 11 and it should be a lot of fun. she's a doll of a person and writes quite beautiful songs - they are a bit on the country-flavour for my tastes - but she's still worth seeing.
chris koster, one of my favourite, if unknown artists, signed recently to the orange record label. i hope it is a good move for him... i've heard some not so favourable things about the folks at orange... but chatter is useless, right? a woman i greatly respect (and until now, i've never heard her say a bad word about anyone) thinks these folks are less than savoury (to put it mildly). whether they are dicks or not - we just need orange to finance and promote a kicking video for one of chris' songs and hopefully give him his proper introduction to the masses. or at least the clumps who are able to appreciate interesting artists.
and another uh-oh... checking chris' website i noticed that he is now managed by jake gold.. *le sigh*. oh well. might just be some sour grapes on my part... the whole the song corp venture and all.... whatever. jake and his partner allan gregg and their egos ending up driving 3 great indie canadian companies into the ground. and i'd been working at one of those indies before it got swept up in the ambitious merger to create a canadian multi-service label. a dream that ended in bitter feelings, macho posturing and bankruptcy. a nasty chapter in canadian music, for certain. good thing maple music has gone on and done that very same thing in a much more civilized manner!
yes, i've been through it... bankrupt indie-labels, merging major labels, a boss who was a little too touchy feely, entry-level pay for a senior position, being pigeon-holed into the 'female' jobs in this male dominated industry and on and on and on. and why do i still want to work in music? hahaha. sometimes i shake my head and think i'm a silly-goose for still wanting this. oh well. there are shitty people and environments everywhere. at least if i'm working in the industry i get to deal with my passion every day. i still cling on the the hope that i can have a job that is both interesting and fulfilling - and one that helps artists in their expression and their careers. this is all i want. oh, and a paycheque.
regardless - nothing inspires me like the artists do... and believe me - they get treated far worse in this industry than i ever have been. it really is a wretched business! where you work at a label for a salary that you just KNOW is more than a lot of the artists signed to that same label make in a year. the reasons that an artist is dropped by a label, which often times deals more with the ego of the people at the label than it does with the artist themself. and then of course, the ever-blessed bottom line. where you can see a&r and marketing and promo spending so much money on an album that the artist has no hope of having a good p&l sheet. and if you don't have good p&l - well... see ya later bucky.
ok - this was less of a music round-up than it was a rant. but you know what... that's ok too.
[music | tool, "pushit"]
this friday i am going to see my friend alana kurtis play at holy joe's.... she hits the stage at about 11 and it should be a lot of fun. she's a doll of a person and writes quite beautiful songs - they are a bit on the country-flavour for my tastes - but she's still worth seeing.
chris koster, one of my favourite, if unknown artists, signed recently to the orange record label. i hope it is a good move for him... i've heard some not so favourable things about the folks at orange... but chatter is useless, right? a woman i greatly respect (and until now, i've never heard her say a bad word about anyone) thinks these folks are less than savoury (to put it mildly). whether they are dicks or not - we just need orange to finance and promote a kicking video for one of chris' songs and hopefully give him his proper introduction to the masses. or at least the clumps who are able to appreciate interesting artists.
and another uh-oh... checking chris' website i noticed that he is now managed by jake gold.. *le sigh*. oh well. might just be some sour grapes on my part... the whole the song corp venture and all.... whatever. jake and his partner allan gregg and their egos ending up driving 3 great indie canadian companies into the ground. and i'd been working at one of those indies before it got swept up in the ambitious merger to create a canadian multi-service label. a dream that ended in bitter feelings, macho posturing and bankruptcy. a nasty chapter in canadian music, for certain. good thing maple music has gone on and done that very same thing in a much more civilized manner!
yes, i've been through it... bankrupt indie-labels, merging major labels, a boss who was a little too touchy feely, entry-level pay for a senior position, being pigeon-holed into the 'female' jobs in this male dominated industry and on and on and on. and why do i still want to work in music? hahaha. sometimes i shake my head and think i'm a silly-goose for still wanting this. oh well. there are shitty people and environments everywhere. at least if i'm working in the industry i get to deal with my passion every day. i still cling on the the hope that i can have a job that is both interesting and fulfilling - and one that helps artists in their expression and their careers. this is all i want. oh, and a paycheque.
regardless - nothing inspires me like the artists do... and believe me - they get treated far worse in this industry than i ever have been. it really is a wretched business! where you work at a label for a salary that you just KNOW is more than a lot of the artists signed to that same label make in a year. the reasons that an artist is dropped by a label, which often times deals more with the ego of the people at the label than it does with the artist themself. and then of course, the ever-blessed bottom line. where you can see a&r and marketing and promo spending so much money on an album that the artist has no hope of having a good p&l sheet. and if you don't have good p&l - well... see ya later bucky.
ok - this was less of a music round-up than it was a rant. but you know what... that's ok too.
[music | tool, "pushit"]
10.07.2005
walk.dont.run
today is a david day. news of his first show in nyc came out this morning and i got a copy of his dvd documentary of the making of his 2005 album, 'if god had curves'. it's called walk.dont.run and is only available in his online store and at some shows this autumn. i was really looking forward to this dvd since he was posting on his website that it was a very personal and raw look at the writing/recording process of this ablum. and yes, i'd have to say that pretty much nails the description down.
if you're reading this and you haven't seen the dvd yet.... be warned that i will touch on some parts of the dvd... beware! proceed at your own caution! turn back now! it's not too late.... heehee - that puts in my head the scene with the stones from labyrinth where jennifer connelly's character sarah chooses a certain path on the her search for jareth (adroitly played by mr. david bowie). there - enough space wasted.... ok... on i go....
from the early moments of the dvd where you are in the bathroom with david (wow, that camera is close! and, 'is that a plaid robe you're wearing over your chest with no shirt on it?') you are sucked right into the artist's world. so into the world that you can sit there and wonder how on earth does he get any work done with that counting child in the next room? he tries and fails to play a song several times before he stops and says something blaming his own short comings. he must have the patience of a saint when it comes to his kid. proof positive that i should never have one! i could not stay that serene...
while there is an early sense of, 'wow, am i seeing too much here?', that discomfort soon gives way to the rapture of new york which is presented as a very present backdrop to not only david's life, but to the album itself. you can see the ease with which david lives in this city. sitting on the subway, walking through central park, stopping at restaurants, all without one person staring at him or asking him for some of his time. in other words - he is our beloved canadian rockstar - but living in a city where he can just be without a persona. very nice.
some highlights :
we see the recording of several tracks and are a fly on the wall for some rehearsals
it's nice to see jeff and kevin (the moist boys) and some of their comments made me laugh out loud
the little story about contacting leonard cohen to see if he would sing on the album
the ongoing saga of trying to get gloria steinham's lawyers to clear a sample for 'love will save the day'
the humble hope that tegan from tegan and sara would consent to sing on a track.
all in all - this is a wonderful gift from an artist i respect like i do few others.
and best of all - for the nyc show on october 30th - david will be trying out some new material before he begins recording it. apparently it's going to be more acoustic guitar with a little electronic kick. how much will new york cost. just how much will it cost to not be there?
[music | david usher, "souring"]
if you're reading this and you haven't seen the dvd yet.... be warned that i will touch on some parts of the dvd... beware! proceed at your own caution! turn back now! it's not too late.... heehee - that puts in my head the scene with the stones from labyrinth where jennifer connelly's character sarah chooses a certain path on the her search for jareth (adroitly played by mr. david bowie). there - enough space wasted.... ok... on i go....
from the early moments of the dvd where you are in the bathroom with david (wow, that camera is close! and, 'is that a plaid robe you're wearing over your chest with no shirt on it?') you are sucked right into the artist's world. so into the world that you can sit there and wonder how on earth does he get any work done with that counting child in the next room? he tries and fails to play a song several times before he stops and says something blaming his own short comings. he must have the patience of a saint when it comes to his kid. proof positive that i should never have one! i could not stay that serene...
while there is an early sense of, 'wow, am i seeing too much here?', that discomfort soon gives way to the rapture of new york which is presented as a very present backdrop to not only david's life, but to the album itself. you can see the ease with which david lives in this city. sitting on the subway, walking through central park, stopping at restaurants, all without one person staring at him or asking him for some of his time. in other words - he is our beloved canadian rockstar - but living in a city where he can just be without a persona. very nice.
some highlights :
we see the recording of several tracks and are a fly on the wall for some rehearsals
it's nice to see jeff and kevin (the moist boys) and some of their comments made me laugh out loud
the little story about contacting leonard cohen to see if he would sing on the album
the ongoing saga of trying to get gloria steinham's lawyers to clear a sample for 'love will save the day'
the humble hope that tegan from tegan and sara would consent to sing on a track.
all in all - this is a wonderful gift from an artist i respect like i do few others.
and best of all - for the nyc show on october 30th - david will be trying out some new material before he begins recording it. apparently it's going to be more acoustic guitar with a little electronic kick. how much will new york cost. just how much will it cost to not be there?
[music | david usher, "souring"]
10.05.2005
don't eat the berries
someone today asked me to recommend some tori amos tracks.... i don't know if she'd heard any tori before and it's just possible that the music might not appeal to her at all - tori is an all or nothing sort of artist. i've never heard of anyone being so-so on tori. either you are lifted to another realm by tori, or you stay on this one. i think it's really that simple.
going through each album and trying to select just the right songs to recommend to a new listener was an interesting little task. a refreshing challenge to try to bring some objective ears to her music! tori's music for me is such an intensely personal thing. listening to her albums over and over and over again until every nuance flows with my very blood and breath.
and her live shows.... well - that's a whole 'nother level of personal. only twice have i gone to her shows with someone else (monique who i used to work with at lichtmans - lichtman's luvs ya! and ambika, rob and mike more recently). all other times i have gone on my own. at the beginning it was out of necessity - no one i knew liked tori enough to spring for tickets & i didn't have enough $$ to buy a ticket for them. almost immediately i became protective and selfish of my tori-time. once i had told someone how excited i was that a tori show had been announced - and this person (lovely margarita) wanted to come too. i felt not-so-great about it, but we bought our tickets together. then, the night of the show, margarita ended up not being able to go & had her boyfriend scalp her ticket. i did not know this until a stranger came and sat in her seat.
on another musical note - i've been listening to witching hour by ladytron. i'd read a good review and besides - how could i not buy an album named 'witching hour'? itunes describes the music as electronica - but i don't think i agreee. i actually hear a lot of 80's gothy influence there.... the jesus and mary chain, bauhaus, the cure, joy division and a bit of siouxsie in the vocals. if you like any of the mentioned - check out this disc.... turns out this is their 3rd album - looks like i've got some catching up to do. yey for new discoveries!
tonight i'm off to the drake to check out chris koster. i've seen him a handful of times and he really just seems to get better and better (excepting an odd yelping performance at cmw a few years back). seeing him both solo and with a band - i'm not sure which i prefer - though some of the songs are quite epic with a full band backing them. his album secrets of the lonely is really quite amazing - it will go down as one of my most listened to of 2005.
on a non-music related note - i am very interested in seeing body worlds 2, currently at the ontario science centre. a german scientist found a way to placticize human bodies, organs, tissues, muscles, etc so that they look as close to living as possible. the exhibit contains over 200 specimens. i was going to go in january 2006, thinking it'd be better to go in the deep of the toronto winter (to beat the crowds), but i heard from my yoga instructor that if you go now, there are hardly any crowds at all and you can spend as much time as you want in the exhibit. the tickets are crazy expensive ($25.00), but i really think this will be a unique exhibit.
[music | ladytron, "the last one standing"]
going through each album and trying to select just the right songs to recommend to a new listener was an interesting little task. a refreshing challenge to try to bring some objective ears to her music! tori's music for me is such an intensely personal thing. listening to her albums over and over and over again until every nuance flows with my very blood and breath.
and her live shows.... well - that's a whole 'nother level of personal. only twice have i gone to her shows with someone else (monique who i used to work with at lichtmans - lichtman's luvs ya! and ambika, rob and mike more recently). all other times i have gone on my own. at the beginning it was out of necessity - no one i knew liked tori enough to spring for tickets & i didn't have enough $$ to buy a ticket for them. almost immediately i became protective and selfish of my tori-time. once i had told someone how excited i was that a tori show had been announced - and this person (lovely margarita) wanted to come too. i felt not-so-great about it, but we bought our tickets together. then, the night of the show, margarita ended up not being able to go & had her boyfriend scalp her ticket. i did not know this until a stranger came and sat in her seat.
on another musical note - i've been listening to witching hour by ladytron. i'd read a good review and besides - how could i not buy an album named 'witching hour'? itunes describes the music as electronica - but i don't think i agreee. i actually hear a lot of 80's gothy influence there.... the jesus and mary chain, bauhaus, the cure, joy division and a bit of siouxsie in the vocals. if you like any of the mentioned - check out this disc.... turns out this is their 3rd album - looks like i've got some catching up to do. yey for new discoveries!
tonight i'm off to the drake to check out chris koster. i've seen him a handful of times and he really just seems to get better and better (excepting an odd yelping performance at cmw a few years back). seeing him both solo and with a band - i'm not sure which i prefer - though some of the songs are quite epic with a full band backing them. his album secrets of the lonely is really quite amazing - it will go down as one of my most listened to of 2005.
on a non-music related note - i am very interested in seeing body worlds 2, currently at the ontario science centre. a german scientist found a way to placticize human bodies, organs, tissues, muscles, etc so that they look as close to living as possible. the exhibit contains over 200 specimens. i was going to go in january 2006, thinking it'd be better to go in the deep of the toronto winter (to beat the crowds), but i heard from my yoga instructor that if you go now, there are hardly any crowds at all and you can spend as much time as you want in the exhibit. the tickets are crazy expensive ($25.00), but i really think this will be a unique exhibit.
[music | ladytron, "the last one standing"]
10.01.2005
the occult in new york
beginning in the victorian era and continuing on into the mid 1900's most of england was obsessed with spirituality, the occult, witchcraft, ancient gods and the study of all things anywhere near related to the paranormal. after all, england was home to things like the hellfire club (sir francis dashwood's ocultish/satanistic cult of the mid-1700's). and home to internationally renowned (if controversial) archeological like the fascinating dr. margaret murray who in the 1920's wrote serious and scholarly papers on the history of the practice of witchcraft in medieval europe.also during this time early photographers began an interest in documenting the occult. there is some question on whether this was a genuine interest in art, or whether the photographers were playing the charlatans just as much as some of the occultists of the day. taking advantage of families missing fathers, sons and brothers through various wars, the business of mediums and their scenances grew madly. i think it was common for most well-heeled folk of the time to have their own personal medium on call.
the metropolitan museum of art in new york city currently is hosting an exhibit called "The Perfect Medium : Photography and the Occult". their site describes it as the "historical intersection between photography and the once wildly popular interest in spiritualism." i can not tell you how much this excites me. it's many of my pet passions converging at once. mueseums, history, ghosts, the occult and interesting art.
i am hoping to make a trip to nyc in late october to go see some david usher shows and if i can actually make this happen - you can guarantee that you will be able to find me at that exhibit.
[music | tori amos, "never seen blue"]
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