Tuesday, February 28, 2006

How I Spent My ECMA Vacation

Well, well, well. This is going to be a long one, I caution you now. But that was easily one of the BEST weekends (I suppose it was almost close to a week) that I have ever had! The ECMA's have come and gone and I am sad to see it over. Music music everywhere! People were everywhere. I can't even explain the giddiness I had. Everywhere I went there was music and I did my best to take in as much as I could. The 72+hour Jam was where I spent pretty much most of my time when I wasn't working. I spent Friday afternoon there listening to some nice mellow folk music before work. It was packed too! It was so great to see. There were giddy vibes everywhere! I returned that evening after work and bopped around with familiar faces, young and old. I unfortunately had to work at 7am on Saturday so I slipped out by 2am. I didn't make it to my 5:16am meeting. Shucks.

Saturday night. Back to Myron's for the Jam. Joel was playing downstairs and the line-ups were dang long. But we made 'er in and bopped around for a while. Although we didn't stay too long at Myron's, the highlight while there was having to resort to the male washroom since all the lady toilets were clogged. I thought girls were slobs when it came to bathrooms. But it is no comparison to a guys bathroom at a bar. So not only does some random shake his man bits at me, the toilet was a scary mess! Ladies, this is when working your thighs at the gym comes in handy. Toilet hovering is an art in itself and must be used in dire times. It seems I had the public bathroom jitters (but could you blame me, it was like another planet in there) and found myself hovering much longer than I wanted. The lactic acid build-up left me with aching thighs the next day.

SO, we move on from Myron's down to see Shawnte working at The Club @ the Delta. Tequila shots were had, compliments of Bobby, and I actually stomached it alright. Soon after, a group of bluegrass musicians came into the bar with their guitars, banjo, steel guitar and mandolin. Whether they were all in the same musical act, I am not sure. But they played, and I sat with them and listened. THEN one of them asked me if I wanted to play with them! AAH! I could not turn this down. I was handed a guitar (and a tres nice one at that) and red-haired John (or was it Larry?) told me the chords as we played so I could keep up. They played the Duelling Banjos song from Deliverance for me. Twice. Hehe. I love that song. We eventually got kicked out of the bar, but it didn't stop there. The group hung around till 5am just in the lounge by the chocolate shop. They even asked me to lead the group with a song I knew. I figured they wouldn't know any Kelly Clarkson, so I stuck with a couple Johnny Cash songs. I even sang! And dang loud! Oh it was so fun! The best night ever. E-V-A.

But oh no, my friends. The party doesn't always end on Saturday nights. Sunday night (the only event I had to pay for) was WinterSleep, Matt Mayes, and Slowcoaster at Myron's. This was also a very giddy night. We danced till our little hearts could dance no longer (thanks Red Bull). It was all so damn good, but Slowcoaster is my favorite. I really could have danced to them all night. I think Bearded Blake would agree. We had prime dancing turf as we were right up front. Which probably explains the ringing I had in my ears all the next day. It was a great way to end off the celebrations...or so I thought. MWA HA HA!

I was all snuggled in and watched the awards last night. Time to recouperate and recap. The show had just ended. Phone rings. Christopher (squealing), "Get your ass in gear, I got tickets for the after-party at the Delta!" I am up and there in 15 minutes. This event only comes every so often to our wonderful little city so why not eh? If you can party on Sunday, you can party on Monday. The place is packed, and again, there is live music littered across the hotel and of course, I can't contain myself again. Waiting in the bank machine line-up I catch a passing of the Trailer Park Boys and screamed to Bubbles, "I love your song Liquor and Whores!" like some crazed-out Backstreet Boy fan. Mom and Dad were also there, and we all danced to a few songs and ordered more wine. I "ran" into Bubbles again and got him to sign the styrofoam that my noodles came in and I got a picture with him. Oh and Joel Plaskett signed my noodle box too. I mingled and danced and met some more people, then figured I should quit while I'm ahead and go to bed. That is what I said. I was not wearing red. I like jam on my bread. I do not like green eggs and ham.

Anywho, it was a great, and impromptu finish to it all.

So in conclusion, this past week of ECMA fun has been a fabulous time and it's definitely worth going to every year. The entertainment is endless and you can always find something new to please your ear drums with. Some artists that stuck out and I enjoyed the most (in order of appearance) were Carmen Townsend, Alicia Penny, Mike Trask and Mudhill, the bluegrassers from the Delta, Slowcoaster, and the Divorcees. The music was great, my friends are excellent, and my body needs to crash. And if I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

Friday, February 24, 2006

I am Aglow


Walking this morning I was greeted by this fellow creature on one of the tree encrusted paths I usually take. We just stood 6 feet away looking at each other. He looked much more vibrant though, contrasting against the snow. Then he flew away. And he got me fantasizing. This time about Spring. It's no Summer, don't get me wrong, but it's a great lead-in and definitely has an aura of its own. It's the birds that always get me excited. The birds are equally as excited because they too, know what is to come. They're singing, playing, making friends, finding mates, eating leftovers. They know how to work it. At this point the snow is almost gone, enough to take the garbage out in barefeet. Ooh barefeet. And the air is still crisp but warm enough to open all the windows in the house and get rid of stale old Winter smells. Spring cleaning. Even that excites me. I'd even Spring clean any of your houses I enjoy it that much. Given you have a stereo that can play loud music. Do any of you have certain CD's (or maybe even a song) that you associate with Spring? Mine are No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom and Nelly Furtado's Whoa Nelly. They are perfect for Spring music, for that sunny day you clean in your barefeet with the windows open. Now speaking of Spring music, I have a new CD I'd like to add to the list. However I have not had a chance to listen to it in the actual Spring, but I have a good feeling about it. It is Sarah Harmer's latest, I'm a Mountain. It is really really really really good. I am Aglow being my iTunes song of the week. Loves it.

As much as I anticipate for warmer days, Winter hasn't been all that bad. I've been out snowboarding a couple of times so far, went skating, watched some live hockey games, made a snowman, drank hot chocolate, played lots of guitar, and am making a puzzle. Now the EMCA's are here!! Mom and Dad both are hosting a segment on ECMA radio so make sure you tune in if you can! Plus, if anyone wants to hit up the 72-hour Jam at some obscure hour, say 5:16am tonight (or tomorrow morning I suppose) let me know. Or just meet there. We'll make it an early morning escapade.

Monday, February 20, 2006

She Makes the Sign of a Teaspoon


Ladies and Gents...They are complete! I finished knitting my first pair of mittens. Or as I like to call them, Knittens. They are a little pointier than I would have preferred but I think I know how I can fix that on the next pair. Ha. Say that last sentence again. There are 4 "I"s in that one sentence. It kind of rolls. I want to try socks next. Socks you can wear all year around. Mitts, not so much. Nothing is comfier than big ol' socks. Well except for the Cozy Coon. I received a Cozy Coon for Christmas one year. It's basically a big squishy blanket that you could button up around you and wear it like a robe. Oh and a hammock. Hammocks are comfy too. SO just imagine what it would be like wearing big socks, and a Cozy Coon, laying in a hammock all at once. And you get a pillow too I suppose. Pure delight.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Let Go of the Jeezley Rope


That's a line from one of Urban Carmichael's songs, that as kids, we would always say. Of course, taught to us by Mom. We tried our hardest to nail it with an Irish accent, but no one could really say "jeezley" quite the same. I never knew him personally, but Mom did, and when she was in The Drill Queens comedy troupe, she played him in a couple of the sketches. One I remember was a spoof on Hinterland's Who's Who commercials. And the being of study was Urban Carmichael. That was a good one. He even came to the show and laughed his arse off. Ever since I can remember, I knew his name, and he was just as much of a celebrity as Sharon, Lois and Bram. I've seen him perform a couple times long ago but wish I'd seen more. I mean with a song called "My Karma Ran Over my Dogma," how could you not want to hear that? He was nothing but Islander and gives me one more reason to be proud of being one. He shall be missed.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Here Little Darlin', Don't Shed No Tears

I don't know if it's just that time of month and my hormones are running wild or what, but I cried on the treadmill yesterday. Yes. I. Did. And I am not a crier. There are only two movies that have ever made me really cry. My Girl and Turner and Hooch. So, I'm on the treadmill at the gym, running me arse off, and one of the 4 televisions had the country music channel on. Ever see the video for "Standing Outside the Fire" by Garth Brooks?? Well. It's about a boy with Down's Syndrome and he is training to run in his high school's track meet. It has the encouraging coach, the supportive mother, and the father that doesn't really believe in him. Ho-Lee. The tears came a-streaming as I'm running 6kph. Slightly embarrased, I wipe my tears, swallow the lump of happy sadness in my throat, and turn my head to watch the smut playing on MuchMusic on one of the other TVs. Thinking I had pulled myself together, I turned back to Garth Brooks. Tears instantly. I immediatly looked away and never looked back.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Take Me on a Trip Upon Your Magic Swirlin' Ship


Ok, I know it's an Islander cliche to talk about the weather...but honestly. This is insane. February is the coldest month here usually. I measure it by the amount of times I have to wear my snowpants each winter. This winter I've only worn them twice. Most other winters past I've worn them at least 6. Yesterday I was out in my spring coat, a hat that barely covered my ears, my smelly, and disinegrating Converse sneakers, and mittens. The mittens were pushing it. I wasn't cold at all. It was glorious. But eerie. As much as I am happy for warm, sunny days, I felt odd. Not quite right. I think I rather it cold and snowy in February. But I could be lying.

In other news, my microwave stopped working the other day. I pulled it out from the wall to look at the back as if I knew what I was looking for. What I found was a bag of bread with, what was one or two, I'll never know, pieces of bread. It was pure brown, moldy dust. Powder. The mold got nuked! Beside was a green slimey bagel. This is because we put the bread on top of the microwave. Sometimes it gets crowded and some things go missing. And get nuked to death. It did remind me though of that TV show "Bump in the Night." Remember that claymation cartoon with those little creatures? Mr. Bumpy and Squishington are the characters I remember. But I remember one episode where a piece of toast falls behind the microwave and gets nuked over and over again. He then comes to life and wreaks havoc around the kitchen. I think it was the Halloween special. Titled, "Night of the Living Bread."

Oh and yes! I knitted my first mitten. It looks a bit like a lobster claw. But I am proud of it. The possibilities are endless when you can knit with 4 needles. Once I master mittens, on to socks!

Props to Shan for finding the picture.