This cute little video, directed by my friend Exan Auyoung, features my friend Vivien Cheng's gorgeously painted vintage bags. Love it!
Sale alert! Perhaps something unique for your friends and family?
Check out the online store HERE
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
a new amazing place
I'm a big fan of urban spaces. I don't think they always get the credit they deserve. I mean, we all know that if we're at the top of a mountain or on a gorgeous deserted beach, we're going to remember them and talk to people about them. But we don't always talk about the urban spaces that for some of us who have always lived in cities, are just as memorable.
I've always been a city person. I think that may be because I grew up toddling around south London and then North Vancouver (which, admittedly, had its fair share of greenery and mountains) and then moved to Toronto, took a detour back to London and Mumbai and returned to the downtown Toronto mecca.
I was coordinating some media interviews for Amanda Martinez last week (plug: her new disc comes out October 20 in Canada and she's got shows in London, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal this month as well) and I'd decided to have it at the new Koerner Hall venue on Bloor Street.
Now, I'm a huge fan of buildings that bridge the gap between old and new. Koerner Hall is Toronto's newest (and possibly most gorgeously appointed) concert hall, part of the brick heritage building that houses the Royal Conservatory of Music. The hall is a warm wood designed room, with a to-die-for acoustics and what looks like taffy-pulled wooden adornment that decorates the ceiling and the back of the stage set-up. Although seating is for 1000+ audience members, it retains its intimate feel and I can tell the concerts there are going to be as pleasing for the artists as the audience since the space presents such an admirable first impression.
So, i had set up a schedule of interviews in the lobby of this building to get the media knowing where it was and to see how great it was that Amanda's new disc was launching here. Makes sense, right?
I thought I'd probably have an experience in the space because I was already overwhelmed by it but it wasn't that space that I'm going to point out as a corner of the world that is full of magic...
As I was bringing the camera crew from CBC The Scene down the elevator to the main floor, we walked through this row of music practice rooms. They look a bit like doors on a ship - with little round windows where you can peek to see musicians at work. And the magic was that the music was bleeding, ever so quietly, into the hallway we were walking through. It was like that Alice in Wonderland tunnel that the Cheshire Cat likes to open every once in a while... we all were flabbergasted and speechless. It's these kind of unexpected corners of paradise in urban centres that I try and enjoy as much as possible. I've now added it to my list of new amazing places in the city of Toronto. Worth the surprise. Made my week.
I've always been a city person. I think that may be because I grew up toddling around south London and then North Vancouver (which, admittedly, had its fair share of greenery and mountains) and then moved to Toronto, took a detour back to London and Mumbai and returned to the downtown Toronto mecca.
I was coordinating some media interviews for Amanda Martinez last week (plug: her new disc comes out October 20 in Canada and she's got shows in London, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal this month as well) and I'd decided to have it at the new Koerner Hall venue on Bloor Street.
Now, I'm a huge fan of buildings that bridge the gap between old and new. Koerner Hall is Toronto's newest (and possibly most gorgeously appointed) concert hall, part of the brick heritage building that houses the Royal Conservatory of Music. The hall is a warm wood designed room, with a to-die-for acoustics and what looks like taffy-pulled wooden adornment that decorates the ceiling and the back of the stage set-up. Although seating is for 1000+ audience members, it retains its intimate feel and I can tell the concerts there are going to be as pleasing for the artists as the audience since the space presents such an admirable first impression.
So, i had set up a schedule of interviews in the lobby of this building to get the media knowing where it was and to see how great it was that Amanda's new disc was launching here. Makes sense, right?
I thought I'd probably have an experience in the space because I was already overwhelmed by it but it wasn't that space that I'm going to point out as a corner of the world that is full of magic...
As I was bringing the camera crew from CBC The Scene down the elevator to the main floor, we walked through this row of music practice rooms. They look a bit like doors on a ship - with little round windows where you can peek to see musicians at work. And the magic was that the music was bleeding, ever so quietly, into the hallway we were walking through. It was like that Alice in Wonderland tunnel that the Cheshire Cat likes to open every once in a while... we all were flabbergasted and speechless. It's these kind of unexpected corners of paradise in urban centres that I try and enjoy as much as possible. I've now added it to my list of new amazing places in the city of Toronto. Worth the surprise. Made my week.
Monday, October 5, 2009
like watching Celine Dion say fuck
Every once in a while, when you work in the music industry, you have to take the time to remind yourself why you work in the music industry. And lately, for me, all of those "reminder" moments have been occuring while attending concerts at The Masonic Temple in downtown Toronto.
Now, because I'm a west coaster, I'm not one of the ones who can gloat about remembering epic good times in this space. My first initiation to the room was in fact as a wee audience assistant on season two of Open Mic with Mike Bullard. Ah, those were the days when the unpaid interns were treated to the glory of seeing Mike wander the upstairs area in his white flannel bathrobe trying to make us laugh at his chuckle humour as we toiled away making callbacks to upcoming potential audience members. It wasn't the most glamourous of gigs, and we weren't getting paid - it was simply a way for us to reach to the first rung on the ladder within the media industry.
Anyway, years later and I find myself thinking about the last sixty days of joy the room has brought me. The Polaris Prize had all ten nominees play songs this year. The Spectacle taping brought me an evening hosted by Elvis Costello and the Imposters and jamming with Bono and The Edge. And tonight it was the migration of the west coast to the middle. Michael Buble took centre stage for a self-hosted turn on Live at The Concert Hall.
I have a special place in my heart for Michael Buble. I worked with him years ago when I did my Venue Management stints at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition). Those were the days when he'd be a regular on the main concert stage and it almost looked like he'd be a fixture as much as the Del Richards Orchestra who, I swear, played every year for about 50 years. I remember seeing his name in smudgy ink listings for Babaluu, the late night Jazz hot spot in downtown Vancouver. And I even once placed my then-unfull resume in the hands of his agent and said to her, no really, I live in Toronto during the year, I'm a Ryerson student and I would love to work with Mr Buble, I think he's really talented. She didn't call me back. And his career skyrocketed soon after.
So, when the opportunity came up from a producer at Bravo! to attend a taping of the show, I wanted to check in and see him in a locale as small as the PNE stage again.
As the evening began, it was full-on Buble, coming at the audience with no abandon. He doesn't hold back with his charm nor his edge and for some it's offensive. Though at first charmed by his clean cut persona, once the raucous energy that Buble was putting out there got too 'dirty', my sister's friend Joan, who I'd invited as my guest to the taping, leaned in and whispered, "it's like watching Celine Dion say fuck!"
Appropriately put, I thought. But I didn't really have a problem with it. You see, I kinda feel that the most successful people these days are the ones who are the most aware of themselves. And if you happen to be a no underwear-wearing Contemporary Jazz singer who admits he knew at 12 that he wanted to get laid and therefore wanted to get famous that it wasn't always about "the love of the music" then so be it. And what's wrong with that?
The point is that Celine Dion likely does say fuck. I'd probably be more offended by her accent when she says it than the actual act itself. But people always have these opinions about artists and they usually prefer a certain version. I guess that's why people invented 'media training' but even though I spend my days pitching and coordinating interviews for artists (today alone I handled requests for Echo & The Bunnymen, Silversun Pickups, Jason Bajada, Sea Wolf, Flying Lotus, Shad, Amanda Martinez and Beast) I'm never really sure if the media training is simply to train you to be more generic or to actually help you be comfortable being yourself in front of thousands of strangers. Most of the time I suspect it's to learn how to answer the questions in a certain way. And since I'm always a fan of standing up for you and approaching everything by having the most fun allowable while showing off the inner awesome you, not everyone agrees with my direction.
A producer friend of mine was watching the taping to finalize the line of questioning he'd be doing for Canada AM on CTV the following morning. He asked me what I should ask Buble. I said that perhaps someone should ask him if anyone had ever called him Bubble. He looked at me, shocked. I retorted that it would likely be a good first question as he'd probably have a good character story and it would be more personal than something pseudo-epic like "what song do you want played at your funeral?" or "if there was one person you'd like to meet or perform with, who would it be?" Sometimes I feel like it's best to regard artists as people, too. Can you imagine being asked the same host of questions every day on every album cycle? Cue Celine Dion.
Now, because I'm a west coaster, I'm not one of the ones who can gloat about remembering epic good times in this space. My first initiation to the room was in fact as a wee audience assistant on season two of Open Mic with Mike Bullard. Ah, those were the days when the unpaid interns were treated to the glory of seeing Mike wander the upstairs area in his white flannel bathrobe trying to make us laugh at his chuckle humour as we toiled away making callbacks to upcoming potential audience members. It wasn't the most glamourous of gigs, and we weren't getting paid - it was simply a way for us to reach to the first rung on the ladder within the media industry.
Anyway, years later and I find myself thinking about the last sixty days of joy the room has brought me. The Polaris Prize had all ten nominees play songs this year. The Spectacle taping brought me an evening hosted by Elvis Costello and the Imposters and jamming with Bono and The Edge. And tonight it was the migration of the west coast to the middle. Michael Buble took centre stage for a self-hosted turn on Live at The Concert Hall.
I have a special place in my heart for Michael Buble. I worked with him years ago when I did my Venue Management stints at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition). Those were the days when he'd be a regular on the main concert stage and it almost looked like he'd be a fixture as much as the Del Richards Orchestra who, I swear, played every year for about 50 years. I remember seeing his name in smudgy ink listings for Babaluu, the late night Jazz hot spot in downtown Vancouver. And I even once placed my then-unfull resume in the hands of his agent and said to her, no really, I live in Toronto during the year, I'm a Ryerson student and I would love to work with Mr Buble, I think he's really talented. She didn't call me back. And his career skyrocketed soon after.
So, when the opportunity came up from a producer at Bravo! to attend a taping of the show, I wanted to check in and see him in a locale as small as the PNE stage again.
As the evening began, it was full-on Buble, coming at the audience with no abandon. He doesn't hold back with his charm nor his edge and for some it's offensive. Though at first charmed by his clean cut persona, once the raucous energy that Buble was putting out there got too 'dirty', my sister's friend Joan, who I'd invited as my guest to the taping, leaned in and whispered, "it's like watching Celine Dion say fuck!"
Appropriately put, I thought. But I didn't really have a problem with it. You see, I kinda feel that the most successful people these days are the ones who are the most aware of themselves. And if you happen to be a no underwear-wearing Contemporary Jazz singer who admits he knew at 12 that he wanted to get laid and therefore wanted to get famous that it wasn't always about "the love of the music" then so be it. And what's wrong with that?
The point is that Celine Dion likely does say fuck. I'd probably be more offended by her accent when she says it than the actual act itself. But people always have these opinions about artists and they usually prefer a certain version. I guess that's why people invented 'media training' but even though I spend my days pitching and coordinating interviews for artists (today alone I handled requests for Echo & The Bunnymen, Silversun Pickups, Jason Bajada, Sea Wolf, Flying Lotus, Shad, Amanda Martinez and Beast) I'm never really sure if the media training is simply to train you to be more generic or to actually help you be comfortable being yourself in front of thousands of strangers. Most of the time I suspect it's to learn how to answer the questions in a certain way. And since I'm always a fan of standing up for you and approaching everything by having the most fun allowable while showing off the inner awesome you, not everyone agrees with my direction.
A producer friend of mine was watching the taping to finalize the line of questioning he'd be doing for Canada AM on CTV the following morning. He asked me what I should ask Buble. I said that perhaps someone should ask him if anyone had ever called him Bubble. He looked at me, shocked. I retorted that it would likely be a good first question as he'd probably have a good character story and it would be more personal than something pseudo-epic like "what song do you want played at your funeral?" or "if there was one person you'd like to meet or perform with, who would it be?" Sometimes I feel like it's best to regard artists as people, too. Can you imagine being asked the same host of questions every day on every album cycle? Cue Celine Dion.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Lalaland beach update
Update from our beach day in Los Angeles... beautiful warm sands... we walked from Venice Beach to Santa Monica. Word to the wise - always choose Jewish holidays to visit LA and you will not compete for space on the road or the beaches. :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Goin' up the mountain to look down on the people....
A wee update from the hills of Berkeley campus near Fog City. The San Fran area was really living up to its name while we were trying to get a glimpse of the apparently bright red Golden Gate Bridge....
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
music of the natural kind
Just a moment from my afternoon yesterday.... we took this just for you to enjoy the yelping sea lions. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
good vibes for fall
Fall always seems to be a great time of year. It's the anticipation of my birthday, and the start of the music season when some of the best new Canadian music is let loose for new ears to discover. It's when the seasons change a little and layers are ok, and it's not freezing yet but definitely cuddle weather if you want.
I'm super tired though. Summer was a busy one for me this year and so lately I've been sleeping like a log. But I guess that's a hell of a lot better than tossing and turning. And believe me, I've seen that a lot before so I know I prefer the complete comatose alternative.
A quick music dedication to the masses before I retire this evening. This is a pick from my awesome littlest sister who saw this miss at Glastonbury this year. She may not have won the mercury prize this year but she's certainly on my list.
Enjoy!
I have to post the link rather than the video itself, so check out Flo here.
I'm super tired though. Summer was a busy one for me this year and so lately I've been sleeping like a log. But I guess that's a hell of a lot better than tossing and turning. And believe me, I've seen that a lot before so I know I prefer the complete comatose alternative.
A quick music dedication to the masses before I retire this evening. This is a pick from my awesome littlest sister who saw this miss at Glastonbury this year. She may not have won the mercury prize this year but she's certainly on my list.
Enjoy!
I have to post the link rather than the video itself, so check out Flo here.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
fam jam
My dad and sister were both over last night and we had a "fam jam"
Below is my Dad's choice. His words were "very london, very rude." And I tend to agree. But I'd also add, "very awesome."
Enjoy....
Below is my Dad's choice. His words were "very london, very rude." And I tend to agree. But I'd also add, "very awesome."
Enjoy....
Thursday, August 6, 2009
secret broadcast
I'm working with this great Calgary band called Secret Broadcast whose debut disc comes out this September 1, 2009 in Canada. I've been working on their press release this week and as always, in doing so, have been exploring their influences as a result. One of the strengths of the album is lead singer Matt Lightstone's vocals and it reminded me of Snow Patrol a little bit so I took the time to youtube up some Snow Patrol... and, of course, I forgot how much I freaking love Snow Patrol. Here's the video for a live version of one of their songs that I can't help but pass along. Kinda made my day.
Oh, and if you want to start following Secret Broadcast, go check them out here and if you're in Toronto plan on seeing them on Sept 10 at the Rivoli. :)
Oh, and if you want to start following Secret Broadcast, go check them out here and if you're in Toronto plan on seeing them on Sept 10 at the Rivoli. :)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
friend proud
I just spent a fabulous time at the Hillside festival in Guelph, Ontario. It was my first time, and I met so many gorgeous people who were more than open to braving the seriously muddy conditions of the weekend. We ate warm hippie-made food all weekend and I got to hang with some bands I have worked with recently - Sunparlour Players - as well as bands who are practically family like Dave from the Warped 45s and the boys of Patrick Watson. One of the huge things that you take away from this festival is the rampant feeling of goodwill - it's created via many things - the fact that you purchase a plastic mug upon arrival and use it for all your drinks over the weekend, that there are no paper plates and a huge crew of "dish ninjas" who make life at hillside a community affair. It's all so specifically awesome, and it's festivals like this who are aware that this kind of get together does impose an impact on an area that DO SOMETHING about their waste who will continue into the future.
Lots of good moments - from the sunday gospel session (Shane Cuizon's spoken word was terrifyingly good and Melissa Mclelland was also a highlight)to the tongue n' cheek of Bahamas to the skillful mastery of Kevin Breit and the awesomeness of the Rural Alberta Advantage. Memory lane thanks to Patrick Watson, and a lightning hit in the tent just before Clues made me grab the arms of friends nearby. Memorable because of the monsoons and the fact that we were all in this together.
I often feel pretty lucky that I'm part of this creative music community and this weekend re-affirmed this thought. My friend Exan is also part of the community and recently directed her very first music video. We celebrated the other day at a launch event in downtown Toronto. So friend proud. (I've f'd up the formatting for this post but I'm too tired to toggle with it... so posting it as is.) Enjoy!
Lots of good moments - from the sunday gospel session (Shane Cuizon's spoken word was terrifyingly good and Melissa Mclelland was also a highlight)to the tongue n' cheek of Bahamas to the skillful mastery of Kevin Breit and the awesomeness of the Rural Alberta Advantage. Memory lane thanks to Patrick Watson, and a lightning hit in the tent just before Clues made me grab the arms of friends nearby. Memorable because of the monsoons and the fact that we were all in this together.
I often feel pretty lucky that I'm part of this creative music community and this weekend re-affirmed this thought. My friend Exan is also part of the community and recently directed her very first music video. We celebrated the other day at a launch event in downtown Toronto. So friend proud. (I've f'd up the formatting for this post but I'm too tired to toggle with it... so posting it as is.) Enjoy!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
found: writings, offered: stuff.
I've been purging lots of late. Two Sundays ago I posted on freecycle - a great yahoo groups list service for people interested in finding homes for their stuff as it has no longer become useful to them. I had a couple of things in the house - shoes I never wore, sunglasses, a pulp Maeve Binchy paperback, a cute dress, some candle holders circa junior high... and I posted this. I had a quick response from a single mom who wanted to pick up in the next two hours. She was elated! She arrived soon after and I was able to re-gift my stuff, and feel good that someone could put these things to good use. Awesome.
Today I posted the chest-of-drawers I felt never fit into this apartment of mine and a wicker picnic set on craigslist - hoping to find them new homes too to make way for some updated things in my place. Change is always fun to kickstart!
Among the discoveries in my house, I found a writing excerpt of mine... interesting snapshot of life, I thought, so why not use it on the blog as a wee window to my brain (not current, though, I should add, this seems to be last year or the year before.) Oh, and I should mention that this was found in a file called "narcissism, self-loathing, world collapse and love" which, I see some humour in... I certainly can be dramatic at times!
Found: Writing
I started taking the pictures one day just so that I could look back on a year in my life. I guess I was needing a change and I’d always liked those one a day type calendars so I thought I’d take my own. I started in November so that the following year I could actually get the thing (hopefully a masterpiece by then) printed and sent to my friends in exotic far flung places.
It was just one of my life projects. I always seemed to have a few balls in the air with my projects. It was the only thing keeping me sane. The world news seemed to be reporting absolute collapse and failure. If we weren’t careful the icecaps were going to melt down because we were all drilling into the oilsands and burning up our air without any thought to the future. Those baby boomer types were all staying put in their jobs because their RRSPs they’d been instructed to save so carefully had vanished into thin air after the US banks began to go out of business. The future was apparently bleak and I was just a wee lemming about to jump of the cliff like everyone else. And this is how my life launched into its 29th year. By now, according to my life plan, I should be married with children but it was not to be so. Instead, I was just a downtown gal, scarf-tied and sullen, wandering the world aimlessly amidst a sea of contracts and looming EI lines. Life was beautiful and it was only up from here.
If I were to write a book I would imagine the emo-steeped low-drama everyday sort of narrative would pour out of me. I don’t think it would sell. Who wants to hear about the life of so-and-so who finds it hard to get up in the morning and whose daily joy revolves around the coffee grinder in her kitchen?
Today’s picture was a cloudy mess. If the skies could speak it would likely talk about the sun hidden behind a layer of protective clouds. My mind wandered to London skies. This would be typical day there but I was not in the thriving city of London. I was in Toronto, a city recently voted number four for its cultural prowess just behind longtime frontrunners, Paris, London and Tokyo. No kidding. We’re number four. Perhaps it’s because in these dreary frigid days, all the artists warm up their back garages and hunker down for four months of hell. Absolute hell. Who wants to live in a city without mountains that gets really freaking cold and where you can’t even ski?
Today I posted the chest-of-drawers I felt never fit into this apartment of mine and a wicker picnic set on craigslist - hoping to find them new homes too to make way for some updated things in my place. Change is always fun to kickstart!
Among the discoveries in my house, I found a writing excerpt of mine... interesting snapshot of life, I thought, so why not use it on the blog as a wee window to my brain (not current, though, I should add, this seems to be last year or the year before.) Oh, and I should mention that this was found in a file called "narcissism, self-loathing, world collapse and love" which, I see some humour in... I certainly can be dramatic at times!
Found: Writing
I started taking the pictures one day just so that I could look back on a year in my life. I guess I was needing a change and I’d always liked those one a day type calendars so I thought I’d take my own. I started in November so that the following year I could actually get the thing (hopefully a masterpiece by then) printed and sent to my friends in exotic far flung places.
It was just one of my life projects. I always seemed to have a few balls in the air with my projects. It was the only thing keeping me sane. The world news seemed to be reporting absolute collapse and failure. If we weren’t careful the icecaps were going to melt down because we were all drilling into the oilsands and burning up our air without any thought to the future. Those baby boomer types were all staying put in their jobs because their RRSPs they’d been instructed to save so carefully had vanished into thin air after the US banks began to go out of business. The future was apparently bleak and I was just a wee lemming about to jump of the cliff like everyone else. And this is how my life launched into its 29th year. By now, according to my life plan, I should be married with children but it was not to be so. Instead, I was just a downtown gal, scarf-tied and sullen, wandering the world aimlessly amidst a sea of contracts and looming EI lines. Life was beautiful and it was only up from here.
If I were to write a book I would imagine the emo-steeped low-drama everyday sort of narrative would pour out of me. I don’t think it would sell. Who wants to hear about the life of so-and-so who finds it hard to get up in the morning and whose daily joy revolves around the coffee grinder in her kitchen?
Today’s picture was a cloudy mess. If the skies could speak it would likely talk about the sun hidden behind a layer of protective clouds. My mind wandered to London skies. This would be typical day there but I was not in the thriving city of London. I was in Toronto, a city recently voted number four for its cultural prowess just behind longtime frontrunners, Paris, London and Tokyo. No kidding. We’re number four. Perhaps it’s because in these dreary frigid days, all the artists warm up their back garages and hunker down for four months of hell. Absolute hell. Who wants to live in a city without mountains that gets really freaking cold and where you can’t even ski?
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
a taxi story
Hello world. I'm back. Since my last post I've been dithering in the unkempt world of no-wireless and it has made me very hobo-like. It's been a mess of USB keys-as-necklaces, webmail and back-and-forth that I barely have enough energy to describe. And what's worse is that I've had no outlet to regale you with daily tales of discoveries and stories.
And so, as a sort of small apologetic offering to the world, I give you a wee story to whet your appetites.
Of course, it all went down in a taxi cab.
I was rushing, as usual, and the skies were threatening rain, and the added pencil skirts don't work on bicycles situation didn't help, so, in an effort to solve all issues, I decided to jump into a taxi.
The driver, a lovely gentleman of (I'd guess) around 60 years of age, actually turned down the music rather than choose an obnoxious pop station for the ride. I was heading to my home, and was happy to be chauffered. Somewhere along the way, as we were stuck in traffic, the subject of the recent Iranian elections came up and he, as an emigre to Canada, and an Iranian, was quick to say he was disappointed with the results and said very clearly to me that "this is no longer about the election, it is about basic human rights, the people, the world, will not stand for this."
I asked him what we could do to achieve any kind of result or change for the country as I knew that the whole political issue hadn't been clearly explained on television. He explained that the issue was mainly that Ayatollah Khomeini (the 1st Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran) had stood up and publicly supported the election results and would not back down. At the time, he said, the people of Iran were waiting for Friday when, he explained, the Ayatollah was to speak at the Friday mosque service and hopefully make a sort of loophole statement that might concede some wrongdoing in the election.
Unfortunately, as Friday came and went, I saw no Canadian news reporting on the results of this speech, which my taxi driver had explained, he could listen to on his Iranian radio device that was giving him the best reporting he knew of about the daily situation.
I'm watching it carefully now, and so far have only seen fingerpointing from the Iranian government. First they blamed England for interfering and now they're trying to lay blame on Obama and the USA. Obama was an easy target as he actually made a public statement on the matter. Stephen Harper called the situation unacceptable in his recent press statement.
I know the issue that is going on is one thousand times worse than what we are seeing on our news, and what is leaking out quietly via social network sites like Twitter. There are likely more murders, more imprisonments, more physical wrongdoings and signs of dictatorship than anyone in the Western world would know how to manage.
It sparked something in me this taxi conversation. It was mainly a feeling of helplessness. I'm not Iranian but I often think that in times of world conflict, we get off too easily. But despite my strong feelings on the subject, I still don't know what to do. I don't know best where my time and money would be spent. I worry about the journalistic situation since they are revoking passports for foreign journalists and are threatening the lives of Iranian journalists currently inside the country.
Last year I read Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran. I was truly moved by this story which was part memoir and part literary criticism. It also gave me a peek into the real world of women in this country and how lucky we are in Canada to be able to even read freely.
I couldn't help but think that the recent election has regressed the world position of Iran to untenable levels.
But I still don't know what best to do. Does anybody know what we can tangibly do to make a difference from Canada? It's on my mind. I think it should be on everybody's mind these days, really. Regardless of your cultural ancestry. This is a major world event and I hope we focus hard on them and make them see it is unacceptable to continue like this.
And so, as a sort of small apologetic offering to the world, I give you a wee story to whet your appetites.
Of course, it all went down in a taxi cab.
I was rushing, as usual, and the skies were threatening rain, and the added pencil skirts don't work on bicycles situation didn't help, so, in an effort to solve all issues, I decided to jump into a taxi.
The driver, a lovely gentleman of (I'd guess) around 60 years of age, actually turned down the music rather than choose an obnoxious pop station for the ride. I was heading to my home, and was happy to be chauffered. Somewhere along the way, as we were stuck in traffic, the subject of the recent Iranian elections came up and he, as an emigre to Canada, and an Iranian, was quick to say he was disappointed with the results and said very clearly to me that "this is no longer about the election, it is about basic human rights, the people, the world, will not stand for this."
I asked him what we could do to achieve any kind of result or change for the country as I knew that the whole political issue hadn't been clearly explained on television. He explained that the issue was mainly that Ayatollah Khomeini (the 1st Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran) had stood up and publicly supported the election results and would not back down. At the time, he said, the people of Iran were waiting for Friday when, he explained, the Ayatollah was to speak at the Friday mosque service and hopefully make a sort of loophole statement that might concede some wrongdoing in the election.
Unfortunately, as Friday came and went, I saw no Canadian news reporting on the results of this speech, which my taxi driver had explained, he could listen to on his Iranian radio device that was giving him the best reporting he knew of about the daily situation.
I'm watching it carefully now, and so far have only seen fingerpointing from the Iranian government. First they blamed England for interfering and now they're trying to lay blame on Obama and the USA. Obama was an easy target as he actually made a public statement on the matter. Stephen Harper called the situation unacceptable in his recent press statement.
I know the issue that is going on is one thousand times worse than what we are seeing on our news, and what is leaking out quietly via social network sites like Twitter. There are likely more murders, more imprisonments, more physical wrongdoings and signs of dictatorship than anyone in the Western world would know how to manage.
It sparked something in me this taxi conversation. It was mainly a feeling of helplessness. I'm not Iranian but I often think that in times of world conflict, we get off too easily. But despite my strong feelings on the subject, I still don't know what to do. I don't know best where my time and money would be spent. I worry about the journalistic situation since they are revoking passports for foreign journalists and are threatening the lives of Iranian journalists currently inside the country.
Last year I read Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran. I was truly moved by this story which was part memoir and part literary criticism. It also gave me a peek into the real world of women in this country and how lucky we are in Canada to be able to even read freely.
I couldn't help but think that the recent election has regressed the world position of Iran to untenable levels.
But I still don't know what best to do. Does anybody know what we can tangibly do to make a difference from Canada? It's on my mind. I think it should be on everybody's mind these days, really. Regardless of your cultural ancestry. This is a major world event and I hope we focus hard on them and make them see it is unacceptable to continue like this.
Monday, May 25, 2009
this week in my life
I'm working with some interesting bands this week. Been listening to the Skydiggers 20 years retrospective disc that is out on Pheromone records in preparation. I'll be working with this band this week. If you're in Toronto, they're playing five nights at the Dakota. Here's some music as a warm-up! xo and good night world!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
thoughts before bed
Long night. One of those rought and tumble nights that are scripted but not planned. I ran into several old and dear friends of mine and I feel absolutely full of love for seeing them. I miss them all.
One was a friend I'd worked with on a Breakfast TV show in Vancouver. Getting up at five a.m. will made you bond or hate, really. And this one I ran into years later again, once we'd both moved to Toronto. It was so awesome to catch up, and then run away, when I realized I was cramping his pick up styles for a moment in time. :)
The next was a friend who works at the local diner up the street. We drank wine as she was closing up shop with the bartender for the evening. She had a slammed evening and was glad to rant about customers and boys she's trying to date alike. Good times.
Then a departure to downtown, and a run in with an old skool soul mate who I go way back with. I introduced him to my friends in other countries and learned he and his girlfriend are now moved in, and he's so happy. It's great, he deserves it all. I explained the absolute terror and destruction of the CDN music industry right now and he got it, and supported my direction too. It was a good convo.
Then to the old haunt - Ronnies. Ah, nothing better on a warm summer night...
Song to send everyone on their weekend:
One was a friend I'd worked with on a Breakfast TV show in Vancouver. Getting up at five a.m. will made you bond or hate, really. And this one I ran into years later again, once we'd both moved to Toronto. It was so awesome to catch up, and then run away, when I realized I was cramping his pick up styles for a moment in time. :)
The next was a friend who works at the local diner up the street. We drank wine as she was closing up shop with the bartender for the evening. She had a slammed evening and was glad to rant about customers and boys she's trying to date alike. Good times.
Then a departure to downtown, and a run in with an old skool soul mate who I go way back with. I introduced him to my friends in other countries and learned he and his girlfriend are now moved in, and he's so happy. It's great, he deserves it all. I explained the absolute terror and destruction of the CDN music industry right now and he got it, and supported my direction too. It was a good convo.
Then to the old haunt - Ronnies. Ah, nothing better on a warm summer night...
Song to send everyone on their weekend:
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
i was the crazy one
I must've been a sight on my journey home. Wearing a somewhat well-crushed straw cowboy hat, a waterproof columbia jacket, well-dusted jeans, an suitably ironic urban jesus necklace and runners, I was pulling my twenty dollar chinatown-special tweed printed rolling suitcase, and had a black swag bag with from one of Dad's 1998 Mining conferences filled with a towel, blanket, and some boots slung over my shoulder. My hands clutched a cardboard container with two bottles of Okanagan reds. I'd rushed to the bus at the airport level one, and crammed my self and all my various swinging bags (my minolta and my erin templeton leather handbag also dangling from my shoulders) into a seat. The guy beside me caught my eye and smiled.
This is just me. Only I could have a friend who chooses to have a burn-er-up redneck wedding in the middle of fucking nowhere. The cattle ranch location was in the beautiful okanagan valley, miles away from cell phone reception towers and from people who have any idea of what a publicist does for a living. These people talk cattle the way I talk social networking. They know Angus from Herfordshire, and run into irrigators on a daily basis rather than journalists and photographers. They don't unconsciously reach for their blackberry to check the time, and they hear the news on the local radio. They likely wouldn't give a shit that in the week following my visit to their locale, I'd be munching on ordeuves while sipping the bottle of See Ya Later red I acquired from the Kelowna airport wine store.
The guy seated in front of me on the plane from Kelowna to Vancouver on Monday morning was on his way to do a presentation in New Orleans. He'd relocated his family to the Kelowna area 7 years ago and never looked back. I was seated in front of him (somewhat like they do on trains) because our small little plane's row 13 was now full. Row 13 is where the lucky people sit, I'd imagine. Facing towards the back of the plane on take-off, the effect was of severe nausea on take-off. I tried to keep my mind focused on the conversation I was having. He was confiding in our section that those Southern Ontario folk didn't know what they were missing.
While I agree the life out there is agreeable, I found it daunting to shelve my urban life for even three days. I love being outside on a good day, but this was beyond what I could take. It meant I couldn't check in on my sister in the UK via skype, nor receive funny text messages from my Mum. It meant I was in a facebook void so therefore my little brother's life was a bit blanked out from me as well. I hadn't a TV to watch the news, and I missed that.
I probably smelled like a campfire too. I'm sure noone on the TTC express to Kipling could've imagined that in that day, I'd driven the Coquihalla highway to Kelowna, flown to Vancouver, ran a marathon in the airport to the next gate, sustained my life on Miss VIckies chips and Vitaminwater bought at the gate52 newstand store, boarded the plane, grabbed my bags and then got on the express TTC bus to the subway. I'd spent the weekend two-stepping in a tent, being driven around the area by the local caretaker, seeing the baby animals, watching moose bathe in the lake, and soaking up the red sky sunsets at night. It was beautiful, and far away from my daily life as possible. I realized that I was on the other extreme of what I liked and perhaps, if possible, it would be great to find a position in the middle of all this.
As a tribute to the weekend, however, I think I shall buy a watch. Then I won't have an excuse to check the berry so much. Yee-haw.
By the way, the week before the wedding, my friend called long distance, and together with another friend of mine, we came up with some fantastic musical contributions to the weekend.
The song below was our selection for the couple's first dance. It struck just the perfect chord. What a freaking perfect song.
This is just me. Only I could have a friend who chooses to have a burn-er-up redneck wedding in the middle of fucking nowhere. The cattle ranch location was in the beautiful okanagan valley, miles away from cell phone reception towers and from people who have any idea of what a publicist does for a living. These people talk cattle the way I talk social networking. They know Angus from Herfordshire, and run into irrigators on a daily basis rather than journalists and photographers. They don't unconsciously reach for their blackberry to check the time, and they hear the news on the local radio. They likely wouldn't give a shit that in the week following my visit to their locale, I'd be munching on ordeuves while sipping the bottle of See Ya Later red I acquired from the Kelowna airport wine store.
The guy seated in front of me on the plane from Kelowna to Vancouver on Monday morning was on his way to do a presentation in New Orleans. He'd relocated his family to the Kelowna area 7 years ago and never looked back. I was seated in front of him (somewhat like they do on trains) because our small little plane's row 13 was now full. Row 13 is where the lucky people sit, I'd imagine. Facing towards the back of the plane on take-off, the effect was of severe nausea on take-off. I tried to keep my mind focused on the conversation I was having. He was confiding in our section that those Southern Ontario folk didn't know what they were missing.
While I agree the life out there is agreeable, I found it daunting to shelve my urban life for even three days. I love being outside on a good day, but this was beyond what I could take. It meant I couldn't check in on my sister in the UK via skype, nor receive funny text messages from my Mum. It meant I was in a facebook void so therefore my little brother's life was a bit blanked out from me as well. I hadn't a TV to watch the news, and I missed that.
I probably smelled like a campfire too. I'm sure noone on the TTC express to Kipling could've imagined that in that day, I'd driven the Coquihalla highway to Kelowna, flown to Vancouver, ran a marathon in the airport to the next gate, sustained my life on Miss VIckies chips and Vitaminwater bought at the gate52 newstand store, boarded the plane, grabbed my bags and then got on the express TTC bus to the subway. I'd spent the weekend two-stepping in a tent, being driven around the area by the local caretaker, seeing the baby animals, watching moose bathe in the lake, and soaking up the red sky sunsets at night. It was beautiful, and far away from my daily life as possible. I realized that I was on the other extreme of what I liked and perhaps, if possible, it would be great to find a position in the middle of all this.
As a tribute to the weekend, however, I think I shall buy a watch. Then I won't have an excuse to check the berry so much. Yee-haw.
By the way, the week before the wedding, my friend called long distance, and together with another friend of mine, we came up with some fantastic musical contributions to the weekend.
The song below was our selection for the couple's first dance. It struck just the perfect chord. What a freaking perfect song.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
wedding mixes
I'm heading west to a friend's wedding this May. Should be a nice weekend away, in a place I've never been, with little cell phone reception. All things I enjoy in life.
I've been a little lazy with the wedding mix this time though. I have this running scrap of paper on the board by the front door that gets scribbled on from time to time and I think it may not have too much cohesiveness. Do I make a mix that is love songs or song about love that remind me of the person or that are just simply lovely? I'm thinking a little bit of both?
I've got a Johnny Cash tune on the list but I'd also like to include Clem Snide. Other contenders include Honeysuckle Weeks, The Postal Service, and Brian Eno. I tend to pop the disc in with the card and enclose a cheque. Money always helps everyone but music adds personality to the gift. And my mixes take ever so long to finalize. I really have a hard time making it just right. I think blip.fm might help me out though, so much musical discovery on that site. I love it.
Anyway, not feeling too wordy right now, still fighting off dreaded sinus cold monster. Coffee now, for an illusion of energy for an hour or so.
I've been a little lazy with the wedding mix this time though. I have this running scrap of paper on the board by the front door that gets scribbled on from time to time and I think it may not have too much cohesiveness. Do I make a mix that is love songs or song about love that remind me of the person or that are just simply lovely? I'm thinking a little bit of both?
I've got a Johnny Cash tune on the list but I'd also like to include Clem Snide. Other contenders include Honeysuckle Weeks, The Postal Service, and Brian Eno. I tend to pop the disc in with the card and enclose a cheque. Money always helps everyone but music adds personality to the gift. And my mixes take ever so long to finalize. I really have a hard time making it just right. I think blip.fm might help me out though, so much musical discovery on that site. I love it.
Anyway, not feeling too wordy right now, still fighting off dreaded sinus cold monster. Coffee now, for an illusion of energy for an hour or so.
Monday, April 13, 2009
man up
I'm going to keep this post fairly brief due to the lo-ver-ly sinus cold that is making my head feel like it might explode at any second.
Dramatic, yes?
Well, not as dramatic as the actual changing of the seasons here in downtown Toronto. It seems that people in my neighbourhood are all ready to gear up for spring fever. In the past week, I've had three people reveal their new secret crushes. And my answer to them? MAN UP.
Seriously. All this flirting and anticipation of fresh pedicures and skin is cool and everything, but just like the cool wind you didn't count on the other afternoon when it was brilliantly sunny outside, the rules haven't really changed.
Sure, people are willing to risk a little more in spring. After a season like we've had - legions of newly-unemployed workers, bankruptcy, sharp scrutiny of all that you consider normal in our daily lives - sure, I can see that people want to focus on a new part of life. But for anyone reading this, I would urge that you consider the chase is fun, but not that fun.
Maybe it's just that I'm somewhat economical. I don't like to wait in lines, and I hate to waste time. I'd rather walk somewhere and be moving in the right direction towards my destination than be sitting in a car in a traffic jam.
So, when a friend of mine mention that someone I know "thinks I'm rather cute" all I could think of in response was "man up."
Perhaps he didn't know that I was going to get the info but the fact is that I was pretty aware of his glances. And my question here was this - if you are so interested, or even mildly interested, then why don't you just man up and ask me out? I may say yes.
I had a phone call interrupt the writing of this post just now, and my devil's advocate friend said, on behalf of all men, that could be countless reasons for this wuss approach to dating. Often it's just that the person hasn't decided whether or not to pursue the other one. Or it could be that not all women are as direct as me. He had a point there. I realize I do like people to be direct to a certain degree. If you think you like someone, then why not try and get to know them a little better? It doesn't mean you're signing a lifelong contract, it's just a freaking date. And sometimes, dates can just be fun.
I read the above and it looks like I'm an expert on this whole dating thing. And I certainly am not. I'd just rather not have crushes revealed via an intermediary, that's all. I can't seem to see what my reaction should have been to that revelation? Jubilation? Should I have admitted my crush on this 'other' as well? Should I say blatantly that I'd like to go on a date with him? Why would I say this to someone other than him?
There is no moral to this story other than to say that the answer could be to "man up." It could be the answer, and it could also just be some advice from a lady with a huge sinus headache. Your choice. Do what you please.
Dramatic, yes?
Well, not as dramatic as the actual changing of the seasons here in downtown Toronto. It seems that people in my neighbourhood are all ready to gear up for spring fever. In the past week, I've had three people reveal their new secret crushes. And my answer to them? MAN UP.
Seriously. All this flirting and anticipation of fresh pedicures and skin is cool and everything, but just like the cool wind you didn't count on the other afternoon when it was brilliantly sunny outside, the rules haven't really changed.
Sure, people are willing to risk a little more in spring. After a season like we've had - legions of newly-unemployed workers, bankruptcy, sharp scrutiny of all that you consider normal in our daily lives - sure, I can see that people want to focus on a new part of life. But for anyone reading this, I would urge that you consider the chase is fun, but not that fun.
Maybe it's just that I'm somewhat economical. I don't like to wait in lines, and I hate to waste time. I'd rather walk somewhere and be moving in the right direction towards my destination than be sitting in a car in a traffic jam.
So, when a friend of mine mention that someone I know "thinks I'm rather cute" all I could think of in response was "man up."
Perhaps he didn't know that I was going to get the info but the fact is that I was pretty aware of his glances. And my question here was this - if you are so interested, or even mildly interested, then why don't you just man up and ask me out? I may say yes.
I had a phone call interrupt the writing of this post just now, and my devil's advocate friend said, on behalf of all men, that could be countless reasons for this wuss approach to dating. Often it's just that the person hasn't decided whether or not to pursue the other one. Or it could be that not all women are as direct as me. He had a point there. I realize I do like people to be direct to a certain degree. If you think you like someone, then why not try and get to know them a little better? It doesn't mean you're signing a lifelong contract, it's just a freaking date. And sometimes, dates can just be fun.
I read the above and it looks like I'm an expert on this whole dating thing. And I certainly am not. I'd just rather not have crushes revealed via an intermediary, that's all. I can't seem to see what my reaction should have been to that revelation? Jubilation? Should I have admitted my crush on this 'other' as well? Should I say blatantly that I'd like to go on a date with him? Why would I say this to someone other than him?
There is no moral to this story other than to say that the answer could be to "man up." It could be the answer, and it could also just be some advice from a lady with a huge sinus headache. Your choice. Do what you please.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
the bright side of text messages?
Disclaimer: I text message.
Ok, I like the text message. In fact, I like them a lot.
I first found them useful as a music publicist. When in a loud club or bar, it's great not to have to leave for the front to communicate where in the locale you are situated so you can meet up with your friend/colleague/journalist in question. So, it was useful to me.
Then I found that I could romanticize the text message a little bit. Isn't it a wonderful thing that someone out there thought of YOU when they were experiencing something WONDERFUL or AMAZING? When they were seeing something for the first time, and you came to mind, they picked up their phone and sent you a virtual message. When they missed you, they send an emoticon. They attended an event that you were attending and they had a text convo during the event with YOU. You got to experience the event one step closer WITH them.
This is what I like to imagine the text message could be. If you told the person you cared for that this is what it meant, then I would hope the world would love it even more. Revel in it, perhaps.
But every glass gets cloudy. At some point someone started labeling a late night text as a booty text. Someone else included reaching out with a text message as unemotional, and lacking in effort. Yet another person started the rumour that using a text message was an inferior cost-saving (read: less important) way of communicating. Then someone created a mass text list and tried to reach too many people with a thoughtless message or group joke. Another group condemned the newly-coined "sexting" as an utterly distasteful exchange of sexual thoughts.
And before you know it, the text message is diluted. Ineffective. Sad. Meaningless. Dirty.
I'm sad that text messaging has sunk to this level. I still truly think there's a little romance in some of my messages. If I were on the top of the Eiffel Tower and I sent you a text from there, I would hope you thought for a second that I could have been doing a number of things other than send you a message, but I didn't. Instead, I reached for my phone, send you one line of love and pushed send. I wasn't scared of your opinion of me. I hoped you might receive my message and respond.
I think that it can surely enhance a sparkle that exist in that other's eye. It might even be a tool that reveals a side of the other you didn't know was there.
A quick survey of Urbandictionary.com reveals many negative affiliations with text messaging. They manage to define everything from text mess: n: a text message which:
1- provides you or another person with "too much information"
2- begs for sexual favors, money, and/or a chance to reunite romantically
3- contains many misspelled words and poor abbreviations due to high levels of intoxication
4- somehow starts a blood feud between families
...to text message ho: A late night girl whom is strickly communicated with via text message. Under no circumstance would an acutal vocal conversation ever take place. Ex: I had to bang out my text message ho last night, kiiiiddd. and Dude, that chick is a text message ho. Strickly text scene.
I think it's sad. Communication with another can't be all bad. I guess it's just how you look at it.
Ok, I like the text message. In fact, I like them a lot.
I first found them useful as a music publicist. When in a loud club or bar, it's great not to have to leave for the front to communicate where in the locale you are situated so you can meet up with your friend/colleague/journalist in question. So, it was useful to me.
Then I found that I could romanticize the text message a little bit. Isn't it a wonderful thing that someone out there thought of YOU when they were experiencing something WONDERFUL or AMAZING? When they were seeing something for the first time, and you came to mind, they picked up their phone and sent you a virtual message. When they missed you, they send an emoticon. They attended an event that you were attending and they had a text convo during the event with YOU. You got to experience the event one step closer WITH them.
This is what I like to imagine the text message could be. If you told the person you cared for that this is what it meant, then I would hope the world would love it even more. Revel in it, perhaps.
But every glass gets cloudy. At some point someone started labeling a late night text as a booty text. Someone else included reaching out with a text message as unemotional, and lacking in effort. Yet another person started the rumour that using a text message was an inferior cost-saving (read: less important) way of communicating. Then someone created a mass text list and tried to reach too many people with a thoughtless message or group joke. Another group condemned the newly-coined "sexting" as an utterly distasteful exchange of sexual thoughts.
And before you know it, the text message is diluted. Ineffective. Sad. Meaningless. Dirty.
I'm sad that text messaging has sunk to this level. I still truly think there's a little romance in some of my messages. If I were on the top of the Eiffel Tower and I sent you a text from there, I would hope you thought for a second that I could have been doing a number of things other than send you a message, but I didn't. Instead, I reached for my phone, send you one line of love and pushed send. I wasn't scared of your opinion of me. I hoped you might receive my message and respond.
I think that it can surely enhance a sparkle that exist in that other's eye. It might even be a tool that reveals a side of the other you didn't know was there.
A quick survey of Urbandictionary.com reveals many negative affiliations with text messaging. They manage to define everything from text mess: n: a text message which:
1- provides you or another person with "too much information"
2- begs for sexual favors, money, and/or a chance to reunite romantically
3- contains many misspelled words and poor abbreviations due to high levels of intoxication
4- somehow starts a blood feud between families
...to text message ho: A late night girl whom is strickly communicated with via text message. Under no circumstance would an acutal vocal conversation ever take place. Ex: I had to bang out my text message ho last night, kiiiiddd. and Dude, that chick is a text message ho. Strickly text scene.
I think it's sad. Communication with another can't be all bad. I guess it's just how you look at it.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
can you see the lions today?
I was driving over the lions gate bridge today realizing that there are days where I truly feel like a west coast gal. The clouds were perched on the mountaintops and the blues and greens of the sky and trees were vibrant. The whitecaps were surfacing on the inlet below the bridge deck. It was simply beautiful.
Over the last week I've managed to do a ton of what I wanted in Vancouver. A better time to catch up with the city than at Christmas, that's for sure. Yesterday I went down to Pender and Carrall to Erin Templeton's bag shop. She's a talented local bag and belt designer (also making strappy sandals too) and her stuff is carried in cool boutiques across the country. I wanted to take the time to go to her shop though, and as it happened, she was in the back, making bags as we browsed. She's a friendly, open and kooky lady, but one that is super passionate about what she does. I did leave with a belt and a bag and I'll be promoting her wares to everyone I see. One of a kind for sure.
I've visited little stores on main street, had coffee at delany's in edgemont village, ate berry crumble on granville island, attended a live radio taping at cbc radio and spent much time in yaletown with my friends who live on false creek. I've been a yuppie for a day and sampled Urban Fare's yummies, and seen bands play at The Penthouse. I've jazzed at Rossini's and taken the bus, seabus and skytrain. I've seen the Junos at GM Place, been to the Commodore on Granville Street and had dinner at the Terminal City Club. I business lunched with a friend and colleague at Earl's near Lougheed Highway and went as support for my friend's wedding dress fitting in middle-of-nowhere Surrey. We passed Cloverdale rodeo on the way and I reminisced about our trips there to the wierdo french festival. Tomorrow I'll be on the sea to sky highway going up to Whistler and will summit the peaks.
And all this to say that no matter how long I'm away, or how comfortable I feel in Toronto, this blue and green city still gets to me. It's totally nostalgic and I always feel like life isn't hitting reality when I'm here. Bizarre.
Douglas Coupland seemed to hit on this concept when he said this: "believe that you've had most of your important memories by the time you're thirty. After that, memory becomes water overflowing into an already full cup. New experiences just don't register in the same way or with the same impact. I could be shooting heroin with the Princess of Wales, naked in a crashing jet, and the experience still couldn't compare to the time the cops chased us after we threw the Taylors' patio furniture into their pool in eleventh grade."
With that advice in mind, I may just try and jam a few more things in before my thirtieth year hits me this October. Watch out world, here I come. You have Douglas to blame.
Over the last week I've managed to do a ton of what I wanted in Vancouver. A better time to catch up with the city than at Christmas, that's for sure. Yesterday I went down to Pender and Carrall to Erin Templeton's bag shop. She's a talented local bag and belt designer (also making strappy sandals too) and her stuff is carried in cool boutiques across the country. I wanted to take the time to go to her shop though, and as it happened, she was in the back, making bags as we browsed. She's a friendly, open and kooky lady, but one that is super passionate about what she does. I did leave with a belt and a bag and I'll be promoting her wares to everyone I see. One of a kind for sure.
I've visited little stores on main street, had coffee at delany's in edgemont village, ate berry crumble on granville island, attended a live radio taping at cbc radio and spent much time in yaletown with my friends who live on false creek. I've been a yuppie for a day and sampled Urban Fare's yummies, and seen bands play at The Penthouse. I've jazzed at Rossini's and taken the bus, seabus and skytrain. I've seen the Junos at GM Place, been to the Commodore on Granville Street and had dinner at the Terminal City Club. I business lunched with a friend and colleague at Earl's near Lougheed Highway and went as support for my friend's wedding dress fitting in middle-of-nowhere Surrey. We passed Cloverdale rodeo on the way and I reminisced about our trips there to the wierdo french festival. Tomorrow I'll be on the sea to sky highway going up to Whistler and will summit the peaks.
And all this to say that no matter how long I'm away, or how comfortable I feel in Toronto, this blue and green city still gets to me. It's totally nostalgic and I always feel like life isn't hitting reality when I'm here. Bizarre.
Douglas Coupland seemed to hit on this concept when he said this: "believe that you've had most of your important memories by the time you're thirty. After that, memory becomes water overflowing into an already full cup. New experiences just don't register in the same way or with the same impact. I could be shooting heroin with the Princess of Wales, naked in a crashing jet, and the experience still couldn't compare to the time the cops chased us after we threw the Taylors' patio furniture into their pool in eleventh grade."
With that advice in mind, I may just try and jam a few more things in before my thirtieth year hits me this October. Watch out world, here I come. You have Douglas to blame.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
spring awakening?
I love Art. Culture. Music. I love discovering things everyday. Today for instance, I brushed my teeth while listening to Cat Steven's Foreigner on the turntable. My music crush on Cat Stevens seems to grow with each piece of vinyl I re-discover.
I had this moment this weekend when I looked around and saw my friends all squished in around a table at my local, chattering, smiling, and I thought to myself... this is the way I want life to be most days. It gave me some kind of energy knowing that life could exist in such a way. We're such a misfit bunch of people but in the end, there we were, in the boozy dim-lit red-walled local, crammed in by the jukebox just enjoying every minute of it. No glamour, just a fantastic hang time.
So, as the seasons turn, I'd like to give you a moment of Spring hope for your aural pleasure. Graham(aka Miracle Fortress) always seems to know how to get it right. His Daft Punk cover is brilliant and a great way to start off a shimmering spring filled mix. This song just suits the mood we should all be embracing.
I filled out this list with some others that have gotten the tone and timbre just right too. Enjoy the music. xo.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
I had this moment this weekend when I looked around and saw my friends all squished in around a table at my local, chattering, smiling, and I thought to myself... this is the way I want life to be most days. It gave me some kind of energy knowing that life could exist in such a way. We're such a misfit bunch of people but in the end, there we were, in the boozy dim-lit red-walled local, crammed in by the jukebox just enjoying every minute of it. No glamour, just a fantastic hang time.
So, as the seasons turn, I'd like to give you a moment of Spring hope for your aural pleasure. Graham(aka Miracle Fortress) always seems to know how to get it right. His Daft Punk cover is brilliant and a great way to start off a shimmering spring filled mix. This song just suits the mood we should all be embracing.
I filled out this list with some others that have gotten the tone and timbre just right too. Enjoy the music. xo.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Thursday, March 19, 2009
days like these...
A snapshot of my life right now makes it clear that working out of a home office on a day like today makes me a very lucky little lady. My apartment has wonderful 9x9 windows and I've been enjoying the sunshine since I saw it rise this morning in the wee hours. In the background, I've got Fashion television telling me about the hot new Canadian designers showing their wares at LG Fashion Week and on the counter my coffee pot is gurgling with pleasure. Mmmmm ideal coffee. Can't wait.
I'm getting ready to head to the Junos next week. I'm as excited that the event is in my hometown. Although the artist I'm working didn't get added to the live taping of Q on Thursday evening, I'll be bringing my little sister to the show, so that will be nice. Whenever I'm home, I don't really have too much time, and it's usually some kind of holiday so it will be nice to shake up the calendar a little.
Anyway, spring is in the air - the mood is bright...sunshine will do that to you. I'm even motivated to go swimming on my lunch break today, so you can see how much I've needed this change of light!
A video for you to enjoy on this day from the one and only Raphael Saadiq. I had the pleasure of seeing this line-up on Monday here in Toronto and a better show I have not seen this year. I danced. It was lovely. Happy Thursday! xo
Here's the a fan video from that show:
And some more music... seems like the majors are blocking embedding codes for the videos so I've settled on this one that just gives you the audio.
I'm getting ready to head to the Junos next week. I'm as excited that the event is in my hometown. Although the artist I'm working didn't get added to the live taping of Q on Thursday evening, I'll be bringing my little sister to the show, so that will be nice. Whenever I'm home, I don't really have too much time, and it's usually some kind of holiday so it will be nice to shake up the calendar a little.
Anyway, spring is in the air - the mood is bright...sunshine will do that to you. I'm even motivated to go swimming on my lunch break today, so you can see how much I've needed this change of light!
A video for you to enjoy on this day from the one and only Raphael Saadiq. I had the pleasure of seeing this line-up on Monday here in Toronto and a better show I have not seen this year. I danced. It was lovely. Happy Thursday! xo
Here's the a fan video from that show:
And some more music... seems like the majors are blocking embedding codes for the videos so I've settled on this one that just gives you the audio.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
the apocalypse?
A friend of mine just called me from Parkdale. He was on his third cigarette, chain-smoking nervously as he stared in disbelief at wood chunks scattered all over his front porch. The tree from his neighbour's yard had come crashing to the ground, splintering its remains all over the once-entrance to the house.
Luckily, it didn't cause too much serious physical damage, but, for my friend, he was saying it gave him pause.
I told him usually these things are a blessing of some kind. It's bad to say that you sometimes need a shake-up but most of us think that if we continue on with our well-worn motives and good humour, things will improve. We will get our due.
Often, I've found this is not always the case. In 2000, I was crossing the road in London, England and I was hit by a car. I smashed the windshield of this gent's volvo and was catapulted over the car, landing on my feet only to have the laws of physics send the rest of me to the ground, hitting my shins and my hips on the ground. I remember the thud of the car, and the thought in my mind was "What have I done?"
Trust humans to think immediately that whatever this bone-crushing accident was, that it was our fault. Probably a little bit, but not entirely in my case.
Anyway, I said to the friend on the phone this evening that he should take a deep breath and just consider it a wake-up call. Were there things in his life that he wasn't entirely happy with? Use this close call as a reason to make the change. Take a day off. Purge. Call someone you've neglected. Enjoy. Revel. Relax. Essentially, take it as a reminder that we are here on earth to LIVE.
Luckily, it didn't cause too much serious physical damage, but, for my friend, he was saying it gave him pause.
I told him usually these things are a blessing of some kind. It's bad to say that you sometimes need a shake-up but most of us think that if we continue on with our well-worn motives and good humour, things will improve. We will get our due.
Often, I've found this is not always the case. In 2000, I was crossing the road in London, England and I was hit by a car. I smashed the windshield of this gent's volvo and was catapulted over the car, landing on my feet only to have the laws of physics send the rest of me to the ground, hitting my shins and my hips on the ground. I remember the thud of the car, and the thought in my mind was "What have I done?"
Trust humans to think immediately that whatever this bone-crushing accident was, that it was our fault. Probably a little bit, but not entirely in my case.
Anyway, I said to the friend on the phone this evening that he should take a deep breath and just consider it a wake-up call. Were there things in his life that he wasn't entirely happy with? Use this close call as a reason to make the change. Take a day off. Purge. Call someone you've neglected. Enjoy. Revel. Relax. Essentially, take it as a reminder that we are here on earth to LIVE.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
This one is up for a Juno award...
I'm a huge Chad Vangaalen fan. I'm super busy this week - too busy to blog about anything BUT, here's some Canadian music to inspire while I toil away at my computer promoting other things.
He also animated this video too... pretty impressive...
Enjoy!
He also animated this video too... pretty impressive...
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
music tuesday: Scott Andrews
It's a long story as to how I came across this one, and unfortunately, I'm not going to bother to tell it here. But if anyone out there has any comments on this gent's voice, I'd appreciate the feedback. I think I like it.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Ruler express 1.0
When I was in elementary school I had an exceptional group of over-imaginative friends. In order to communicate while in class, one of this group of gals decided to invent the ruler express to pass notes between each other. The purpose? Half entertainment, one quarter boredom, and one quarter communication.
The ruler express was literally bits of plastic ruler broken up to which we would affix a little piece of paper. It didn't really matter the content of the note, what mattered was the act of getting the message through. We'd throw these babies across rooms, slide them into books and slyly look the other direction as the ruler express vehicles traveled the room.
We were seldom caught and to this day I wish I had a piece of those well worn little bits of joy.
Now here in 2009, I've been working pretty hard at learning the new communication tools since November. Mainly because I think as the walls of traditional media morph, the new social media will become as important as the print pieces, the tv interviews and the radio features. So, my twitter experiments have led me to spend time this weekend at Podcamp with a bevy of micro-bloggers in Toronto. If I were writing this on twitter I'd have to use a hashtag (#pcto09) to identify this line of thought, but since it's just on my blog, I can freely spew my mind instead.
My approach to twitter has been like learning a language. You need to learn the street speak to survive in this world - basic tools that have come in handy include learning to shorten links via a service like TINY URL, signing up for a BLIP.FM account so you can promote the songs you love to your friends, and referencing your new twitter followers (yes, it is the new cult of the webworld) by using @yournamehere and preserving the overwhelming opinion of the general twittership that this is not a stupid medium that is a waste of time, it is of use, it is a new way to weave a web, connect to friends of friends.
I've been converted this week mainly because I've been able, via the people I met this weekend at Podcamp TO, to run my fingers in a new virtual stream of conversation. You see, prior to this weekend, I was mainly connected to my friends who were of the Canadian Music Industry. Unfortunately, for all they know about the music industry, they don't know exactly the depth of interest that is out there for twitter. And people like @sarahprevette who runs the TO twestival and her gang of overwhelmingly overconnected friends and colleague have in three days, let me look through their perpective.
I'll give you some examples. When you're trying to connect with a new community of any kind, one of the first things you need to do is establish trust. By signing up for Podcamp - a free unconference led by people who are mutually interested in sharing information on social media - I was immediately trustworthy. So as I established trust, I found others who were already readily involved in the twittersphere - those who were already addicted (and I'm not kidding here) to the huge information feeds that can be filtered and accessed via tweetdeck technology. And just by showing up to a free lunch (and with no backup I might add) I was allowed to befriend and learn.
I'm currently self-employed and needing to find ways to simplify the tools needed to run a business and spend the maximum amount of time on the actual work, rather than the tedium of invoices and expenses. Thanks to my new friends I've learned about MOO.com where I can get business cards, I met the folks from the innovative invoice site FRESHBOOKS, and have accessed a whole new school of thought of how people really can communicate.
Anyway, just some stream of consciousness about all this communicating. It's a little terrifying to learn so much so fast, but hopefully in the end it will be fruitful and not just a fucking waste of time that takes away from your real world people friends (let's not call the real people followers, shall we?)
We shall see. Twitter is still on trial but so far, I'm quite convinced. This could be the new ruler express? Perhaps.
The ruler express was literally bits of plastic ruler broken up to which we would affix a little piece of paper. It didn't really matter the content of the note, what mattered was the act of getting the message through. We'd throw these babies across rooms, slide them into books and slyly look the other direction as the ruler express vehicles traveled the room.
We were seldom caught and to this day I wish I had a piece of those well worn little bits of joy.
Now here in 2009, I've been working pretty hard at learning the new communication tools since November. Mainly because I think as the walls of traditional media morph, the new social media will become as important as the print pieces, the tv interviews and the radio features. So, my twitter experiments have led me to spend time this weekend at Podcamp with a bevy of micro-bloggers in Toronto. If I were writing this on twitter I'd have to use a hashtag (#pcto09) to identify this line of thought, but since it's just on my blog, I can freely spew my mind instead.
My approach to twitter has been like learning a language. You need to learn the street speak to survive in this world - basic tools that have come in handy include learning to shorten links via a service like TINY URL, signing up for a BLIP.FM account so you can promote the songs you love to your friends, and referencing your new twitter followers (yes, it is the new cult of the webworld) by using @yournamehere and preserving the overwhelming opinion of the general twittership that this is not a stupid medium that is a waste of time, it is of use, it is a new way to weave a web, connect to friends of friends.
I've been converted this week mainly because I've been able, via the people I met this weekend at Podcamp TO, to run my fingers in a new virtual stream of conversation. You see, prior to this weekend, I was mainly connected to my friends who were of the Canadian Music Industry. Unfortunately, for all they know about the music industry, they don't know exactly the depth of interest that is out there for twitter. And people like @sarahprevette who runs the TO twestival and her gang of overwhelmingly overconnected friends and colleague have in three days, let me look through their perpective.
I'll give you some examples. When you're trying to connect with a new community of any kind, one of the first things you need to do is establish trust. By signing up for Podcamp - a free unconference led by people who are mutually interested in sharing information on social media - I was immediately trustworthy. So as I established trust, I found others who were already readily involved in the twittersphere - those who were already addicted (and I'm not kidding here) to the huge information feeds that can be filtered and accessed via tweetdeck technology. And just by showing up to a free lunch (and with no backup I might add) I was allowed to befriend and learn.
I'm currently self-employed and needing to find ways to simplify the tools needed to run a business and spend the maximum amount of time on the actual work, rather than the tedium of invoices and expenses. Thanks to my new friends I've learned about MOO.com where I can get business cards, I met the folks from the innovative invoice site FRESHBOOKS, and have accessed a whole new school of thought of how people really can communicate.
Anyway, just some stream of consciousness about all this communicating. It's a little terrifying to learn so much so fast, but hopefully in the end it will be fruitful and not just a fucking waste of time that takes away from your real world people friends (let's not call the real people followers, shall we?)
We shall see. Twitter is still on trial but so far, I'm quite convinced. This could be the new ruler express? Perhaps.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
skype makes the world go 'round
My little sister is coming into town tomorrow. Although, lately, it's been nice to see her a lot.... via skype. Seriously, I don't understand why more people aren't on it. It's basically a really funny way to connect with people. The only catch is that you have to build your contact list so that you can call others... or that's the way I use it... so if you want to talk to your sister in another town, you can if you're both online at the same time. We talked for over an hour today via video chat. And it's free. So within our convo - she'd called me whilst I was getting quite overwhelmed by some stupid proof of claim form I had to fill out - by the end of it we were laughing (and seeing each other laugh) quite hysterically. There's some kind of delirious novelty that comes with watching your (often worse for wear) sister stare into her computer screen and chat. Strangely comforting. She's even banned her boyf from adding her on skype because she fears it will ruin the mystique of the relationship. And to some degree I agree. Only your eldest sister needs to see you moaning into the screen from your bed while you are sick. And trust me - she did that ALL WEEKEND recently and by the third call, I was like - PLEASE, for all of us - even me in another city - PLEASE go have a shower. It might make you feel better.
Anyway, it's some kind of eighth wonder of the world and the telecommunications companies are doing a damned good thing of keeping it under wraps. I signed up over 5 years ago now and I woulda thought it might have caught on by now?
True fact - my first skype call was with friends in Delhi, India. I had come home from a bar and was a little ragged around the edges when they called and I listened to their accents floating out of my computer. At the time, I didn't have a microphone set up to chat back with them, but I chatted back by typing just to say, hey keep talking, this is making my world spin!
Anyway, two cents on skype. Sign up today. There's really no catch. It's pretty easy and kinda great to see people via screens instead of not at all.
G'night world.
Anyway, it's some kind of eighth wonder of the world and the telecommunications companies are doing a damned good thing of keeping it under wraps. I signed up over 5 years ago now and I woulda thought it might have caught on by now?
True fact - my first skype call was with friends in Delhi, India. I had come home from a bar and was a little ragged around the edges when they called and I listened to their accents floating out of my computer. At the time, I didn't have a microphone set up to chat back with them, but I chatted back by typing just to say, hey keep talking, this is making my world spin!
Anyway, two cents on skype. Sign up today. There's really no catch. It's pretty easy and kinda great to see people via screens instead of not at all.
G'night world.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tips from the little bro
It's Sunday of a long weekend. I'm about to make some food in my cosy apartment. I trekked over to the butcher this afternoon but unfortunately there's no lamb for the cinnamon lamb curry I was going to make, so that will have to happen later in the week. A little disappointing!
My little bro who lives in Victoria sent me a note about this Canadian band - Coeur de Pirate. He's really into them and it was awesome to get a recommendation from him.
So, in honour of family day weekend... here's a dedication from my family:
My little bro who lives in Victoria sent me a note about this Canadian band - Coeur de Pirate. He's really into them and it was awesome to get a recommendation from him.
So, in honour of family day weekend... here's a dedication from my family:
Saturday, February 14, 2009
love the world, it's valentine's day
It occurred to me this evening that tomorrow (and by the time I post this, today) is Valentines day. I'm not feeling any kind of sadness or bitterness for this day, in the way petty single ladies are, i guess, SUPPOSED to feel. Rather, I'm pretty happy to be alive and well, and living and learning another day. It seems enough to get up in the morning for, and so, I embark on this 2009 Valentines day with a sense of optimism for the year ahead.
True, this year didn't lend itself to any great romances. I literally fell of a skateboard for one gentleman, and the ensuing wheelchair hospital visit the next day was a story for sure, and the month following in plus 35 degree humid weather while on crutches and working from my home which has a staircase to my bedroom was hard to navigate.
True, a lot of my friends made some HUGE life changes. One had a baby boy and moved cities and left her high-adrenaline government job. Another marked the second year of life with her boy with anticipation of moving into the suite of her husband's brother's home nearby. "There's a garden for Lukas" she said to me excitedly when we had coffee over Christmas time this year. Another realized her husband's career move to work as a teacher was a great decision since he's really found his calling. Most of my Toronto TFC soccer-friends all moved into houses in their east end neighbourhoods. Then there were the ones who had to reevaluate on account of losing their jobs, but there was always some kind of silver living to it. Mainly the fact that in the process of losing your job, you tend to find out who "your people" really are.
But when it comes to me, it seems, unlike my Granny Joyce, I am not worried about meeting someone. It took me a while to get over my past relationship, and it's nice to finally see the cloud lifting a little bit. I saw that boy last night, and it was strange because I can't remember the last time I saw him prior to that. It was more than awkward, since I wasn't prepared for it, but that comfort and ease of friendship and witty banter came back pretty quickly. I guess some things don't really get lost, do they?
I read this article today by the Welsh singer, Duffy. It was one of those "day in the life" type articles, but it was movingly candid and really struck a chord with me. I thought I'd take the time, on the occasion of the eve of Valentines day to share the link with you as well. I loved her album "Rockferry" and can't tell you how many times I played the track "Warwick Avenue" last year. Encouraging to see that she's figured out how to enjoy the madness of her quickly changing life.
Here's the link: DUFFY ARTICLE IN THE TIMES
Off up the apples and pears now to bed.... happy weekend! love love!
True, this year didn't lend itself to any great romances. I literally fell of a skateboard for one gentleman, and the ensuing wheelchair hospital visit the next day was a story for sure, and the month following in plus 35 degree humid weather while on crutches and working from my home which has a staircase to my bedroom was hard to navigate.
True, a lot of my friends made some HUGE life changes. One had a baby boy and moved cities and left her high-adrenaline government job. Another marked the second year of life with her boy with anticipation of moving into the suite of her husband's brother's home nearby. "There's a garden for Lukas" she said to me excitedly when we had coffee over Christmas time this year. Another realized her husband's career move to work as a teacher was a great decision since he's really found his calling. Most of my Toronto TFC soccer-friends all moved into houses in their east end neighbourhoods. Then there were the ones who had to reevaluate on account of losing their jobs, but there was always some kind of silver living to it. Mainly the fact that in the process of losing your job, you tend to find out who "your people" really are.
But when it comes to me, it seems, unlike my Granny Joyce, I am not worried about meeting someone. It took me a while to get over my past relationship, and it's nice to finally see the cloud lifting a little bit. I saw that boy last night, and it was strange because I can't remember the last time I saw him prior to that. It was more than awkward, since I wasn't prepared for it, but that comfort and ease of friendship and witty banter came back pretty quickly. I guess some things don't really get lost, do they?
I read this article today by the Welsh singer, Duffy. It was one of those "day in the life" type articles, but it was movingly candid and really struck a chord with me. I thought I'd take the time, on the occasion of the eve of Valentines day to share the link with you as well. I loved her album "Rockferry" and can't tell you how many times I played the track "Warwick Avenue" last year. Encouraging to see that she's figured out how to enjoy the madness of her quickly changing life.
Here's the link: DUFFY ARTICLE IN THE TIMES
Off up the apples and pears now to bed.... happy weekend! love love!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Lykke Li - let the hip hoppers find her, please!
This is the youtube video from Webster Hall in NYC.... but last night when Lykke Li pulled out her Tribe cover for a Toronto audience, even the indie kids knew what to respond. The encore shoulda been the show. She's a hip hop diva just waiting to break out. Her flygirl moves were the subject of post-show sidewalk talk. Made friday night!
Monday, February 2, 2009
music monday: live at hollywood bowl
I listened to this album on vinyl this morning as I was brushing my teeth and making my way in the world. It's pretty amazing that someone has posted this moment of Beatles history on youtube as well. Happy Monday!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Corner of Paradise: Tango Palace Coffee Company
There's a bustle going on in this place. Coffee beans grinding, milk steaming with a shrill whistle, and the door from outside opens and closes with a rattle bang.
The laptop community is nestled here, fingers reaching and eyes intent. We're listening to a steady stream of Canadians mixing vocals into the aural landscape. I witness Alanis' acoustic version of Ironic for the first time.
The mood is set by a number of textures - the brick walls, antique glass windows steamed up with condensation, red and white striped cotton awning flapping in the blustering wind.
We've switched to a dramatic tune by Rufus Wainwright now. Stacks of biscotti share space beside the glass domes encasing artistic pizza wedges. The furniture is worn and love is worked into everything here.
Jeff, behind the counter, caters to everyone's whim. He'll ignore you at your request or indulge you in local history if you want to hear about it.
Life is progressing on the east side at a steady pace. Conversations murmur ahead at a steady hum as more browsers return for their weekly supplies of beans and neighbourhood dish.
There's a sign on the wall that announces that local psychic Lorraine will be on hand every Wednesday for a reading.
A local is chatting with Jeff now, stating her case for taking refuge this snowy afternoon rather than remain in the chilly laundromat nearby.
As their conversation about half-capacity dryer loads ebb into my consciousness, I realize that this is a place you come for a complete reset. You don't need a purpose to be here, you come for the warmth and you can reap the rewards in the breezy non-committal atmosphere.
I first happened on this place when an ex-boyfriend lived upstairs. He was adamant that his apartment coupled with the next-door park and easy-rider-ooze-cafe downstairs was an ideal life.
For a moment here, I'm inclined to agree. The double shot americano is definitely setting in.
MAP of TANGO PALACE LOCATION in TORONTO, ONTARIO.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
the truth shall set you....
It's been a strange month... I just celebrated an anniversary of sorts and I decided that this writing thing was how I was going to handle it. It's not something I'm really good at talking about. It's like the unwritten rule, don't tell people you're less than happy and maybe it'll go away. Maybe if you smile a lot, maybe it will ingratiate itself and you'll find yourself happy after you stretched your lips into a smile. Perhaps your soul will follow suit?
It's hard. Everywhere I go I see a reminder that the economy is bad. The government has taken out ads that say something along the lines of "you may not believe it, but somewhere out there is a job for you." Every day there's a new headline about out of work people who are in dire straights.
Yet, that's not exactly me. So, in the end, it's hard to say how I should be feeling.
In the interest of full disclosure to the world that can access this blog (and I'm aware this is everyone on the planet who has a computer) let's give a disclaimer and say I'm going to post some things here that people don't really like to talk about. Its sort of like breaking the rule of a sad/upset/whiny facebook status update. Most people don't bother doing it... it doesn't really do much for you... or perhaps it does?
So here are the facts. I lost my job at the end of November. The company was in the music industry and eventually went under... yes, bankruptcy. The timing was terrible and regardless of whether I saw it coming or not, there was no way to prepare yourself for this situation right before Christmas. Effectively what happened was that I didn't get paid past the day that I was told I was no longer on payroll. Yes, I know, this is illegal, and the company does still owe money, but the matter is in the courts and well, I can't count on my missing three weeks pay anytime soon - a sad fact that does not pay bills.
Following this, I discovered I had a lot of unwarranted anger at certain former colleagues. I also was hurt. And felt a little used. And I was sick of seeing people with their pity eyes asking how I was doing. I mean, sure, I was happy they were asking, but I didn't know what to answer to them. It was a surface answer, and the reality was that I felt I deserved a decent position in the entertainment industry and why should I be the one who had to freaking fight for it? WHY?
So yes, there was the anger.
Then there was the discovery that I was exhausted by all of it. All the inquiries about me took away from me actually being able to line myself up for a new gig. And then there was the stress of Christmas and birthday pressies for the fam in December. And then my best friend announced she was getting married in a couple months and would I fly out to the wedding? And EI delayed payment due to money I'd made on a contract (a mere $1000) for FIVE WEEKS.
I read a Leah Mclaren Globe article about unemployed bankers who were reaping the rewards of unemployment: they'd discovered they had personalities and goals beyond long work days and were getting a LOT of SEX.
And me? Nope. No sex for me. Although part of me was aware that I was now available for passionate impromptu afternoon sex, I had no callers of concern.
Here I was, in the great Canadian winter, a hermit in her house, with only job alerts to keep her company.
I worked on my flexibility - trying to conquer my yoga skills by forcing my body and brain to walk to the nearby local yoga studio and stretch my fast-diminishing drive.
The day I'd lost my job, I'd run into an overwhelmingly handsome and persuasive media employee out at a bar. Not recognizing my fragile state of mind, I'd landed a late night snog fest from this kind gent but realizing I was quite needy, didn't pursue much as I really needed to be pursued at this point in time. I ran into him a week later at a concert. The evening ended with him saying that "we should probably have drinks." I hoped so but when that didn't really materialize, I realized that I was just a little blue - not from him completely - but in general. Compounded blueness that was seeping to my core.
I tried to focus on the positives. I had never slept better in my life. I wasn't reciting excel spreadsheets in my mind anymore. I didn't worry about alarms waking me up and found that I actually rose earlier that usual due to lack of stress. I started trying to learn how to cook dishes of food I'd never tried before. My back was in line and the yoga/dodgeball/treadmill combi seemed to be a daily challenge that I was acheiving.
I continued to have coffee meetings with people who always said that they'd hire me but there were no jobs available. I showed up at schmoozy PR evenings. I dutifully plied them with wit and charm.
Day by day, more and more people I knew were getting laid off too. I tried to show support but each one took it differently. Some were very upset, some were stressed, some sold their cars, some took jobs that they were overqualified for, and some wondered when it was going to end. Some shopped while I wandered the streets with them.
Make no mistake, I'm very lucky. I have a warm home, a loving family and I've figured out how to make it through financially. It means cutting a lot of things that were doing me harm anyway. I didn't mind giving up alcohol and I now had an excuse to make an effort in bringing brimming coffee mugs with me whenever I took a walk around the neighbourhood. I love walking and this has been a pleasure to have time to wander aimlessly in this great city. And I say this even in mindblowingly frigid temperatures. I've discovered who are those who are checking in on me and giving me a pass to figure my shit out. I've discovered there are a lot of selfish ones out there too. It's made me realize for all the friends I know, there are few who know me very well.
I started writing the book I always wanted to write and I conquered technology like making my blog look pretty, locking up domain names I needed, e-mail newsletter technology, and the wonderful world of twitter.
There are days though that I find it hard to go out and keep up the positive attitude. I had been wanting a change of job anyway, but it's the fear of not landing that is sometimes unsettling. Two of my closest friends both remarked this week that they didn't know how I was being so positive. In truth, I needed acheivables to make it through. I needed to make quiche and for it to be good. I needed to write my exercise successes on the calendar. I needed people to call and invite me out rather than passively inviting me through some form of social networking. My mind was so on the distrust setting that I needed people to step it up a little and intervene in my quiet book-reading, record-playing environment and get me the fuck out of the house.
So, I'm nearing the end of this note, and I've realized that I need to make this functional for it to be worth baring this much of my inner me in such a public forum. Here's the deal - if you have a friend who is in this uncomfortable state, please make an effort. Try to take a European approach please - feed them, hug them, kiss them and don't give them pity eyes. Be functional. Suggest ideas, introduce them to people they might find a way with - in work or in love. Be a brainstorm for them. Most are trying really hard to stay afloat. And it's really really hard.
And as a postscript to cyberworld, thanks for the meal and boardgames the other day M&H. That was one of the nicest things that has happened in a while.
It's hard. Everywhere I go I see a reminder that the economy is bad. The government has taken out ads that say something along the lines of "you may not believe it, but somewhere out there is a job for you." Every day there's a new headline about out of work people who are in dire straights.
Yet, that's not exactly me. So, in the end, it's hard to say how I should be feeling.
In the interest of full disclosure to the world that can access this blog (and I'm aware this is everyone on the planet who has a computer) let's give a disclaimer and say I'm going to post some things here that people don't really like to talk about. Its sort of like breaking the rule of a sad/upset/whiny facebook status update. Most people don't bother doing it... it doesn't really do much for you... or perhaps it does?
So here are the facts. I lost my job at the end of November. The company was in the music industry and eventually went under... yes, bankruptcy. The timing was terrible and regardless of whether I saw it coming or not, there was no way to prepare yourself for this situation right before Christmas. Effectively what happened was that I didn't get paid past the day that I was told I was no longer on payroll. Yes, I know, this is illegal, and the company does still owe money, but the matter is in the courts and well, I can't count on my missing three weeks pay anytime soon - a sad fact that does not pay bills.
Following this, I discovered I had a lot of unwarranted anger at certain former colleagues. I also was hurt. And felt a little used. And I was sick of seeing people with their pity eyes asking how I was doing. I mean, sure, I was happy they were asking, but I didn't know what to answer to them. It was a surface answer, and the reality was that I felt I deserved a decent position in the entertainment industry and why should I be the one who had to freaking fight for it? WHY?
So yes, there was the anger.
Then there was the discovery that I was exhausted by all of it. All the inquiries about me took away from me actually being able to line myself up for a new gig. And then there was the stress of Christmas and birthday pressies for the fam in December. And then my best friend announced she was getting married in a couple months and would I fly out to the wedding? And EI delayed payment due to money I'd made on a contract (a mere $1000) for FIVE WEEKS.
I read a Leah Mclaren Globe article about unemployed bankers who were reaping the rewards of unemployment: they'd discovered they had personalities and goals beyond long work days and were getting a LOT of SEX.
And me? Nope. No sex for me. Although part of me was aware that I was now available for passionate impromptu afternoon sex, I had no callers of concern.
Here I was, in the great Canadian winter, a hermit in her house, with only job alerts to keep her company.
I worked on my flexibility - trying to conquer my yoga skills by forcing my body and brain to walk to the nearby local yoga studio and stretch my fast-diminishing drive.
The day I'd lost my job, I'd run into an overwhelmingly handsome and persuasive media employee out at a bar. Not recognizing my fragile state of mind, I'd landed a late night snog fest from this kind gent but realizing I was quite needy, didn't pursue much as I really needed to be pursued at this point in time. I ran into him a week later at a concert. The evening ended with him saying that "we should probably have drinks." I hoped so but when that didn't really materialize, I realized that I was just a little blue - not from him completely - but in general. Compounded blueness that was seeping to my core.
I tried to focus on the positives. I had never slept better in my life. I wasn't reciting excel spreadsheets in my mind anymore. I didn't worry about alarms waking me up and found that I actually rose earlier that usual due to lack of stress. I started trying to learn how to cook dishes of food I'd never tried before. My back was in line and the yoga/dodgeball/treadmill combi seemed to be a daily challenge that I was acheiving.
I continued to have coffee meetings with people who always said that they'd hire me but there were no jobs available. I showed up at schmoozy PR evenings. I dutifully plied them with wit and charm.
Day by day, more and more people I knew were getting laid off too. I tried to show support but each one took it differently. Some were very upset, some were stressed, some sold their cars, some took jobs that they were overqualified for, and some wondered when it was going to end. Some shopped while I wandered the streets with them.
Make no mistake, I'm very lucky. I have a warm home, a loving family and I've figured out how to make it through financially. It means cutting a lot of things that were doing me harm anyway. I didn't mind giving up alcohol and I now had an excuse to make an effort in bringing brimming coffee mugs with me whenever I took a walk around the neighbourhood. I love walking and this has been a pleasure to have time to wander aimlessly in this great city. And I say this even in mindblowingly frigid temperatures. I've discovered who are those who are checking in on me and giving me a pass to figure my shit out. I've discovered there are a lot of selfish ones out there too. It's made me realize for all the friends I know, there are few who know me very well.
I started writing the book I always wanted to write and I conquered technology like making my blog look pretty, locking up domain names I needed, e-mail newsletter technology, and the wonderful world of twitter.
There are days though that I find it hard to go out and keep up the positive attitude. I had been wanting a change of job anyway, but it's the fear of not landing that is sometimes unsettling. Two of my closest friends both remarked this week that they didn't know how I was being so positive. In truth, I needed acheivables to make it through. I needed to make quiche and for it to be good. I needed to write my exercise successes on the calendar. I needed people to call and invite me out rather than passively inviting me through some form of social networking. My mind was so on the distrust setting that I needed people to step it up a little and intervene in my quiet book-reading, record-playing environment and get me the fuck out of the house.
So, I'm nearing the end of this note, and I've realized that I need to make this functional for it to be worth baring this much of my inner me in such a public forum. Here's the deal - if you have a friend who is in this uncomfortable state, please make an effort. Try to take a European approach please - feed them, hug them, kiss them and don't give them pity eyes. Be functional. Suggest ideas, introduce them to people they might find a way with - in work or in love. Be a brainstorm for them. Most are trying really hard to stay afloat. And it's really really hard.
And as a postscript to cyberworld, thanks for the meal and boardgames the other day M&H. That was one of the nicest things that has happened in a while.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
panama is the new costa rica
Like most eastern Canadians who don't like cold temperatures, I agree that these -20 temperatures ain't so appealing week after week. So, it wasn't a surprise to me that the subject of a week away in the sun has come up in a number of conversations recently. It looks very likely that I'll be getting on a plane for a week in February to cure the blahs. And it also looks likely that I'll see five other friends from Ottawa/Montreal and Toronto who will be making the trek as well. And it hasn't been too much of an effort to bring this together.
It all started when a friend of mine commented that he really sucked at taking vacations. Not really understanding this concept, I politely inquired what the hell he meant. He said that of the 17 vacation days he had to take last year, he'd only used 2. And it's not like his paycheck doesn't allow for vacations - he makes more than enough to live.
The discussion progressed to the point where I began to understand that he does not have the travel itch. I've always been of the mind that if we're going to be alive and living on the planet, then what is the point of staying in one place the whole time you are here? Why live without seeing this amazing and crazy world?
I immediately got on the computer and started reviewing all of the places on my list. I've always got a running list. This ever-growing 'still to do' list includes living a couple of months in Recife, Brazil, Zip-lining in Costa Rica, motorcycling through the south of Chile, seeing geysers in New Zealand, bathing in the mud bath volcano in Colombia - I could go on and on with ideas. Anyway, after some research I crossed off Costa Rica as a quick study option. There was a large earthquake there recently and it has affected some places in the country. I looked around and wanted to find a country that was similar - as hot - as costa rica, but was a little less touristy and didn't come to mind immediately. And it was then that I found Panama.
When I think of Panama I think of two main things; the canal and the hat. It doesn't engender much else. Maybe sunshine. So, we've got a country I know very little about here - I know there's sunshine, a canal and people wear panama hats.
Quick Lonely Planet thorntree investigation found me the info that I needed. It has gorgeous beaches and surf. There are rainforests and some of the best coffee plantations in the world. There are mountains and volcanos and eco-friendly hut-like relaxation destinations. It's considered a bit of a gem in the travellers little black book. Getting there isn't like getting to Cuba - you have to work at flying there - usually via Atlanta from Toronto or something - so that inspired a little hope that the kind of people you might meet there might have put some effort into wanting to be there. It's like joining a team when you're not in school - you made an effort, therefore you might actually want to give it your all.
I'm going to leave the post here at this point as I'm sunday-brained and must get away from this computer but I'll keep you posted on my panama research. Best laughable nugget of info so far? Panama is "just a little bit smaller than south carolina." Now that just sells me on it right there? yeah. heh.
It all started when a friend of mine commented that he really sucked at taking vacations. Not really understanding this concept, I politely inquired what the hell he meant. He said that of the 17 vacation days he had to take last year, he'd only used 2. And it's not like his paycheck doesn't allow for vacations - he makes more than enough to live.
The discussion progressed to the point where I began to understand that he does not have the travel itch. I've always been of the mind that if we're going to be alive and living on the planet, then what is the point of staying in one place the whole time you are here? Why live without seeing this amazing and crazy world?
I immediately got on the computer and started reviewing all of the places on my list. I've always got a running list. This ever-growing 'still to do' list includes living a couple of months in Recife, Brazil, Zip-lining in Costa Rica, motorcycling through the south of Chile, seeing geysers in New Zealand, bathing in the mud bath volcano in Colombia - I could go on and on with ideas. Anyway, after some research I crossed off Costa Rica as a quick study option. There was a large earthquake there recently and it has affected some places in the country. I looked around and wanted to find a country that was similar - as hot - as costa rica, but was a little less touristy and didn't come to mind immediately. And it was then that I found Panama.
When I think of Panama I think of two main things; the canal and the hat. It doesn't engender much else. Maybe sunshine. So, we've got a country I know very little about here - I know there's sunshine, a canal and people wear panama hats.
Quick Lonely Planet thorntree investigation found me the info that I needed. It has gorgeous beaches and surf. There are rainforests and some of the best coffee plantations in the world. There are mountains and volcanos and eco-friendly hut-like relaxation destinations. It's considered a bit of a gem in the travellers little black book. Getting there isn't like getting to Cuba - you have to work at flying there - usually via Atlanta from Toronto or something - so that inspired a little hope that the kind of people you might meet there might have put some effort into wanting to be there. It's like joining a team when you're not in school - you made an effort, therefore you might actually want to give it your all.I'm going to leave the post here at this point as I'm sunday-brained and must get away from this computer but I'll keep you posted on my panama research. Best laughable nugget of info so far? Panama is "just a little bit smaller than south carolina." Now that just sells me on it right there? yeah. heh.
Friday, January 23, 2009
“Last chance to order for Valentines Day is this Wednesday, Order Now”
Just a quick post that was generated by something I read on twitter from @canadianmags. They'd posted the commentary about this study that was written about the subject lines on e-mail.
E-mail. That wondrous invention that was supposed to change the world. Well, it did change the world, but many of us use phrases like "drowning in e-mail" to describe the state of our overwhelmed inboxes. Still others just read and don't reply.
Anyway, read the PDF study if you're interested to see that if you take the time to write a functional subject line, it will increase the chances of breaking through. I've always practiced this, but so many of us are so frazzled that the little piece of energy required to go the distance and make the effort to think about this seemingly boring intro to our e-mails just doesn't exist and we let it go.
And now, on to friday night. I'm going to cross the east/west divide this evening!
A track to send you on your way:
E-mail. That wondrous invention that was supposed to change the world. Well, it did change the world, but many of us use phrases like "drowning in e-mail" to describe the state of our overwhelmed inboxes. Still others just read and don't reply.
Anyway, read the PDF study if you're interested to see that if you take the time to write a functional subject line, it will increase the chances of breaking through. I've always practiced this, but so many of us are so frazzled that the little piece of energy required to go the distance and make the effort to think about this seemingly boring intro to our e-mails just doesn't exist and we let it go.
And now, on to friday night. I'm going to cross the east/west divide this evening!
A track to send you on your way:
music friday: the smiths, panic
It's friday. People deserve music on fridays. So here's a little tune going out to you. Enjoy.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
how much of a nerd are you?
Ok, so while on twitter today....
Yeah, I know. I'm a nerd. Sort-of. Any blog that might start with "while on twitter today" automatically brings in you into that club. But for me, I'm just hyper-interested in how people communicate, so, most of the time, I just join because it sort of quells my inner monster. I have to figure out this new thing, so I join and in doing so, up my nerd quota.
I have been using twitter specifically to see how it works. I joined during the Canadian elections to check in a see how the liberal parties and NDP were using it. I didn't even search for the conservatives. Why would I need more blather in my life? Anyway, it was interesting to get updates from the parties, and I was more engaged than I ever have been, so I guess it worked for me. I ran a polling station too, so I earned more points for joe-citizen involvement. But the quest to conquer twitter began because of the man in the post before this one - Mr. Obama. He used twitter to announce his running mate. As a communicator, this was a pretty ballsy decision. He recognized the value of twitter and gave an exclusive story/piece of information to a whole young technology-aware group of people who had already spoken up and said - yeah, us, our generation? yeah, we like our info in bite size pieces. We like it quick and easy. We like it delivered in this way - and we don't have time to watch the news at 6 o'clock - no, we, us, our generation, we want you to speak to us directly.
The thing is, people have a fixed view of what they think this technology is. When I bring it up in conversation, people glaze over and think it's just another time waster. What I've learned is exactly the opposite. Twitter is a social engagement tool that is very functional. You can tune in or out. You can choose what info you want. You never get too much and if you want more info, there is usually a link, or a person to follow, that will flesh out the story or the idea. The example I've used in what type of info people generally post online is this - rather than send a message that says "I love my shampoo" people are getting on twitter and saying "I love my shampoo because XXX" and the XXX is a link to more information. People make it functional because it's more interesting. I currently follow @themediaisdying since I tend to work with a lot of media and they update and let everyone know what they've heard about layoff or role changes in the media in North America. Quickly. Functionally. It's digestable and informative.
I've been particularly enamored that the people who are giving it the most credibility are in the political arena. Basically, by getting Obama and any other political party hooked up on twitter, they are saying, yes, we accept this is a form of valid social engagement. It's legitimate. And if you don't pay attention you'll get left behind.
So now that you're interested, I dare you to sign up and look up the folks @twestival. You'll see that they're using this platform to engage people from all around the world to raise funds for charities. They're bringing what is a simple free technology platform into the real everyday world and they're making people stand up and make a difference. I don't just think it's interesting - I think it's the new way that people should approach things. So, look up @twestival and ask them to RT (retweet) the info. You'll be impressed.
In other news, if you want to waste your time or laugh a little check out these guys. Another exercise in micro-blogging... You'll come out understanding what FML means and you'll have something to talk about at your next social gathering. Enjoy!
Yeah, I know. I'm a nerd. Sort-of. Any blog that might start with "while on twitter today" automatically brings in you into that club. But for me, I'm just hyper-interested in how people communicate, so, most of the time, I just join because it sort of quells my inner monster. I have to figure out this new thing, so I join and in doing so, up my nerd quota.
I have been using twitter specifically to see how it works. I joined during the Canadian elections to check in a see how the liberal parties and NDP were using it. I didn't even search for the conservatives. Why would I need more blather in my life? Anyway, it was interesting to get updates from the parties, and I was more engaged than I ever have been, so I guess it worked for me. I ran a polling station too, so I earned more points for joe-citizen involvement. But the quest to conquer twitter began because of the man in the post before this one - Mr. Obama. He used twitter to announce his running mate. As a communicator, this was a pretty ballsy decision. He recognized the value of twitter and gave an exclusive story/piece of information to a whole young technology-aware group of people who had already spoken up and said - yeah, us, our generation? yeah, we like our info in bite size pieces. We like it quick and easy. We like it delivered in this way - and we don't have time to watch the news at 6 o'clock - no, we, us, our generation, we want you to speak to us directly.
The thing is, people have a fixed view of what they think this technology is. When I bring it up in conversation, people glaze over and think it's just another time waster. What I've learned is exactly the opposite. Twitter is a social engagement tool that is very functional. You can tune in or out. You can choose what info you want. You never get too much and if you want more info, there is usually a link, or a person to follow, that will flesh out the story or the idea. The example I've used in what type of info people generally post online is this - rather than send a message that says "I love my shampoo" people are getting on twitter and saying "I love my shampoo because XXX" and the XXX is a link to more information. People make it functional because it's more interesting. I currently follow @themediaisdying since I tend to work with a lot of media and they update and let everyone know what they've heard about layoff or role changes in the media in North America. Quickly. Functionally. It's digestable and informative.
I've been particularly enamored that the people who are giving it the most credibility are in the political arena. Basically, by getting Obama and any other political party hooked up on twitter, they are saying, yes, we accept this is a form of valid social engagement. It's legitimate. And if you don't pay attention you'll get left behind.
So now that you're interested, I dare you to sign up and look up the folks @twestival. You'll see that they're using this platform to engage people from all around the world to raise funds for charities. They're bringing what is a simple free technology platform into the real everyday world and they're making people stand up and make a difference. I don't just think it's interesting - I think it's the new way that people should approach things. So, look up @twestival and ask them to RT (retweet) the info. You'll be impressed.
In other news, if you want to waste your time or laugh a little check out these guys. Another exercise in micro-blogging... You'll come out understanding what FML means and you'll have something to talk about at your next social gathering. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
pride in change
Where were you when? This is the question that gets asked when you hit those crossroads of history that motivate the world to tune in. I was in residence at University huddled around the common lounge television when news of Diana's death came in. I was in drama class in highschool on my birthday when OJ Simpson's verdict came in. I was in Mumbai answering the phone at the house of my friend who was the acting Canadian Consul General when the news of the 2004 tsunami in South East Asia came to us from the emergency contact of the Canadian government.
But this world event was different. This was one of earned respect. After 44 terms, the United states of America swore in Barack Hussein Obama, the first man of colour to be sworn into office. After years of oppression, and fighting for justice, this change is not slight. The man is incredible. But however huge the fact that USA has become a shade more inclusive, it also must be pointed out that Obama cannot be defined by his skin colour alone. His talent to move people, to speak words of wisdom and to engage people is unlike anything I've witnessed before. His speech today was no different. And there were thousands who were watching. Some got in their cars and drove down to be in the middle of the crowd. I decided to go it alone, and was in my living room in downtown Toronto, with the TV tuned into CBC News and my computer logged into CNN live's browser and my facebook page lined up as well. Facebook and CNN had teamed up to create an application where you as a viewer could watch and comment via your status updates in real time. You could tune into your friends' comments only or the everyone feed. Either one was amazing to watch. People were commenting on passages in the speech to Aretha Franklin's oversized grey hat to the uplifting music being played to the poor poet whose words followed the inspiring speech from the new president.
When Starbucks ran an online ad following the ceremony announcing free coffee, it was like the facebook community on cnn.live were throwing eggs at their monitors.
As a Canadian, I was also tuned into the online video feed of CBC.ca as well as the TV in my living room but there were no applications that encourages discourse for this monumental occasion, so I quickly tuned onto my other tab that yielded the cnn/facebook feed. I even logged into twitter to see if what people around the world were saying there.
I can't wait to tune in later on today for the coverage of the balls. And beyond that, I can't wait to see if Mr. Obama takes the time to use his immense power to get people to pay attention to force change in war-torn and starving countries. Change is often hard to force, but I have every faith that his intentions are good. We need a neighbour to the south who is progressive!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
circle research - who?
Sunday morning is always a good time to listen to new music. Since the record distributor i used to work for has been having financial woes, I've had a hard time looking at the remnant items left over in my home/office from the three years of slog i devoted to that position. But today, I decided to reclaim my post as a bona-fide music fan - especially after a friend who until June was a cool indie record label owner, called me last night and had a chat. The subject of our conversation was mainly about jobs, and the lifting of the weight off our shoulders. This 'weight' was mainly the need to be in the crowd, the special ones who think that the music industry is the only thing you need to care about. Now I've always been a bit of a renegade in this respect - I am as passionate about travel, film, abstract art and photography as I am about learning about music. In general, culture fuels my fire so finding out that we were friends beyond music was refreshing. We both enjoy the outdoors, we discussed the merits of applying to the new posting at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (morally we both couldn't do it) and we are both positive about the horizon - working some consulting contracts to keep our lives and minds going.So, in light of this tummy-warming convo from last night, I woke up this morning, ate some grapefruit, and downed a steaming mug of coffee while listening to Circle Research's Who? disc that was supposed to be released in Canada by the distribution company I used to work for. Circle Research are two Toronto based DJ producers and this disc is 36 tracks and 38 minutes long. There's some humour to the top half of the record, since it's very post modern in it's approach: some tracks kick off with a bran-van style telephone conversation about 'fundraising' for Circle Research, there's a whole lot of mentions about the thematic title who? and obvious knowledge of the decline or mega-shifts in today's music industry. Once you're over that and have decided whether this takes away from the disc or not however, the music is perfect for an easy sunday morning. They are following the classic throwback trail, picking up some of the best in soul and hip hop and mixing it up.
Now here's the best part about this record, it's all good. There's soul, disco, beats and an obvious love of life. All of these songs are songs that if you lived through the 90's and had any interest in music, you're going to think that you know them. The production is crisp, fresh, and there's a lot of bounce, step in the easy going approach to the record. It's definitely a gem, and I'm gonna start spreading the word.
Oh, and you'll like them even more once you watch this video. They play in Toronto a lot, so if you are around town, go and find 'em.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
befuddled
Have you ever met someone who throws you off? I mean, I'm a normally together type of person when I go out in public. I tend to communicate fairly well and I also know how to recognize when I'm a little off and when this happens I simply hermit a little and wait for it to pass. But every once in a while I meet someone that throws me off. Completely out of the blue I am reduced to some kind of babbler - the kind of person that I often question.
I ran into one of these the other evening out of the blue. I'm not sure what threw me off, but I kept coming out with these inane questions to keep the conversation going. I was concerned with things I shouldn't have been concerned about - for instance, I became acutely aware that I was wearing red lipstick - how does this matter in any circumstance you may ask? Well, my fuzzed up logic (and no I had not had any alcohol) was telling me that now that I had run into this person I could not approach in any way the region of the face or lips. I may damage this person. I may leave a smudge. It may lead to some embarassing situation. I may somehow let him know that I may like him. In some form, because of the lipstick faux pas, I may actually admit my reality to him.
Now of course, this is totally unreasonable. Do people actually think like this? Well, if I think like this, if I - a usually sane person - is actually processing thought in this way, there must be others like me, right?
When I say I was thrown off by someone, do I instantly completely over-analyse movement, thought and breath? The answer is yes. For now it seems to be in my black hole of "the incurable" the thing I can't control and that in turn has caused me to think about it for two days. I can't shake this. I'd like a re-do please. On short order.
I ran into one of these the other evening out of the blue. I'm not sure what threw me off, but I kept coming out with these inane questions to keep the conversation going. I was concerned with things I shouldn't have been concerned about - for instance, I became acutely aware that I was wearing red lipstick - how does this matter in any circumstance you may ask? Well, my fuzzed up logic (and no I had not had any alcohol) was telling me that now that I had run into this person I could not approach in any way the region of the face or lips. I may damage this person. I may leave a smudge. It may lead to some embarassing situation. I may somehow let him know that I may like him. In some form, because of the lipstick faux pas, I may actually admit my reality to him.
Now of course, this is totally unreasonable. Do people actually think like this? Well, if I think like this, if I - a usually sane person - is actually processing thought in this way, there must be others like me, right?
When I say I was thrown off by someone, do I instantly completely over-analyse movement, thought and breath? The answer is yes. For now it seems to be in my black hole of "the incurable" the thing I can't control and that in turn has caused me to think about it for two days. I can't shake this. I'd like a re-do please. On short order.
Friday, January 2, 2009
the extinction of buttons
Firstly, I have to come right out and recommend that if you have access, please go and watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I know it's a Brad Pitt movie, and all the Hollywood entertainment shows are talking about it and they're putting Jennifer Aniston's movie Marley and Me up against her former husband's box office tallies but don't believe the hype.... just go see the movie. As an actor, and not a glorified entertainment news item, he should be proud to be a part of this engaging story... and it's so well shot too. It left my heart wrenched and my friend noted that the three hours of my life it took away was definitely well worth the time.
So, in a tangental story that I've been thinking about a lot lately that really has not much to do with the movie I just recommended you see above, I've been thinking about the death of industry. I've been employed in the music industry for the last three years, and before that in the cultural arts industry, and recently the company who paid my wages filed for bankruptcy protection. A rather unsettling thing to have happen, but hey, apparently we are in a global recession so them's the breaks. Today, I read a column in the Toronto Star that addressed the idea that there may not be a music industry as we know it today in six months. It was a rather inconclusive mail-it-in type of piece and ready didn't say much except that the industry is basically in hell and that music will continue to exist in some form. Now if you'll allow me I'll now insert the part about the buttons into this thought process. So, everybody knows that the music industry isn't doing so well and that the auto sector is getting bailed out. But what about the buttons? I went to my parents house on the west coast this December and I'd brought a black cardigan with me as a sort of fix-it project. Owing to the fact that I didn't have a regular paycheck, I thought it would be better to replace the button at home while I had some time rather than replace the whole item of clothing.
I asked my mum if she knew where I could buy some buttons. She looked at me and said "you know, it's really hard to buy buttons these days, I think that perhaps it's costing more to produce buttons than it does to sell them." It occured to me that it had been a long time since I needed to buy a button. I replied " I guess the return on investment isn't that great, but can't I get some at walmart or something?" She just said that honestly, she thought the industry was dying. And I thought, well here's another example of some everyday thing that people totally take for granted that isn't ever going to make headline news. It's going to get lost in the shuffle. What's next, zippers? There can't be much money in that related industry either?
Food for thought that's all. Go out and support your local button maker.
So, in a tangental story that I've been thinking about a lot lately that really has not much to do with the movie I just recommended you see above, I've been thinking about the death of industry. I've been employed in the music industry for the last three years, and before that in the cultural arts industry, and recently the company who paid my wages filed for bankruptcy protection. A rather unsettling thing to have happen, but hey, apparently we are in a global recession so them's the breaks. Today, I read a column in the Toronto Star that addressed the idea that there may not be a music industry as we know it today in six months. It was a rather inconclusive mail-it-in type of piece and ready didn't say much except that the industry is basically in hell and that music will continue to exist in some form. Now if you'll allow me I'll now insert the part about the buttons into this thought process. So, everybody knows that the music industry isn't doing so well and that the auto sector is getting bailed out. But what about the buttons? I went to my parents house on the west coast this December and I'd brought a black cardigan with me as a sort of fix-it project. Owing to the fact that I didn't have a regular paycheck, I thought it would be better to replace the button at home while I had some time rather than replace the whole item of clothing.
I asked my mum if she knew where I could buy some buttons. She looked at me and said "you know, it's really hard to buy buttons these days, I think that perhaps it's costing more to produce buttons than it does to sell them." It occured to me that it had been a long time since I needed to buy a button. I replied " I guess the return on investment isn't that great, but can't I get some at walmart or something?" She just said that honestly, she thought the industry was dying. And I thought, well here's another example of some everyday thing that people totally take for granted that isn't ever going to make headline news. It's going to get lost in the shuffle. What's next, zippers? There can't be much money in that related industry either?
Food for thought that's all. Go out and support your local button maker.
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