Hella Stella

Niagara, Nowhere

2011-10-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

So I know I'm dropping the ball with my little corner of the interwebs over here, but admittedly I'm stretched a bit thin these days and the blog is suffering.

However! Luckily for any of you who still want some updates, I'm currently sharing a hotel room with my dear friend Shawna. And Shawna wants some goddamn updates. Who am I to deny her? Also, she's glaring at me right now.

Sorry, Shawna.

We're in Niagara Falls. My phone keeps trying to auto-correct "Niagara" to "nowhere." It's not entirely wrong. Strange place, this small-town-cum-Vegas-lookalike. What is up with this place? It's all confused. Natural beauty mixed with wax museums.

We're here for a folk festival conference. Honestly, it's worth being a folk musician just to attend these conferences with some legitimacy. They are the most fun thing... Ever. Worth the lengthy and expensive train ride. Worth the lack of sleep. Worth carting around a banjo on my back everywhere I go.

Because here? Magic happens. Magic like this impromptu jam session in the hallway of the hotel.

I counted one clarinet, two banjos, three accordions, three fiddles, one guitar, one upright bass, one small drum kit, one trombone.

This is just in the hallway. Impromptu jam. Over an hour long.

I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be in this scene.

Anyways, in other very cool news, I have a new album and it was released TODAY! People are already buying it and I'm totally fucking pumped. It's been a long time since the last one, and although it was good, this new recording makes me very proud.

I'm starting some media outreach, and the CD release party is in about a month.

You see why I haven't had time to blog? Life, she is crazy.

So it's 11pm and the parties are just starting up here. I went to bed at 4am last night and fully expect to do it again tonight. I have a set at 1am. Nutty, but so very fun.

See you on the flip side!

Mmmmmm

2011-09-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm having a great day.

I've napped in my hammock.

I've had a yummy brunch at one of my favourite brunch places.

I've snuggled with my dogs.

I'm enjoying the feeling of a freshly-shaved head (Well, half of it. Crazy haircut, you know).

I'm writing thank you notes to everyone who pre-ordered my CDs (that note on top is for a fellow blogger!).

I'm getting ready to see my girl Shawna sing tonight.

I'm loving the early fall / late summer weather. I have such a super crush on fall.

And I'm blogging.

Aaaah. Great day.

Hollow Body

2011-08-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

So I've joined Twitter.

Ugh.

I think maybe I'm overwhelmed with social media. I enjoy Facebook, I keep a handle on updating my web site, I occasionally blog.... Twitter came along because I'm going to use it in place of a news section when my new web site is launched.

But hot damn, there's a lot of information to absorb. I think I'll end up being a bit shy on that part of the interwebs, although it will be great for getting the word out about the new album. It just hurts my brain to see that many updates. At least with Facebook I actually know the people I'm reading about.

Speaking of which, I've finally got dates for the CD release! Yes, dates plural. It will be a double concert so people can choose either the Friday or Saturday. I'll give y'all the details when they are ready, promise.

I'm feeling pretty wrecked about Jack Layton, but I guess there's nothing I can say that hasn't been said more eloquently elsewhere. Still, it feels like a loss for democracy to have a genuine watchdog leave the ring. Not a lot of people demanded real accountability from government - he will be missed. And that letter? Ow, my heart.

In other news, I've fallen in love with a very expensive vintage hollow body guitar. Some girls lust over shoes. Okay, I *occasionally* lust over shoes. But this guitar? Sweet fuck, I would love to cradle that baby in my arms.

Night sugars! I'm going to go dream of a pretty stringed instrument.

What is time, anyway?

2011-08-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I'm feeling very full circle today.

Last week (two weeks ago? everything blends together these days) I went to my high school reunion. It was small, organized by a few friends, and we all just met at a bar to catch up. I played a few songs on the banjo and my buddies set up their band and played heavy metal into the wee hours. Pretty typical of our school, actually. Banjo and heavy metal. My ears were not happy with me the next day.

It was funny.... I'm still in touch with a few of those friends, but I've lost touch with most of them and it was fascinating to see how we've all changed / stayed the same over the last decade. I think it's safe to say we've all put on a bit of weight, changed our hair (or lost our hair, depending), matured.

But generally, it was like nothing had changed. Everyone was still fun and cool and ridiculous. The same people got inappropriately drunk and groped everyone at the table. I still swore enough to make the heavy metal dudes blush. The crazies were still crazy. It was a happy, fuzzy evening where we all remembered why we loved our school so much.

Right. So there was that.

And then today, I'm playing at the wedding of a girl I went to primary school with. We worked it out, and we've known each other for 25 years.

25 years.

That's most of my short life. And when I was chatting with her at the rehearsal, it was like nothing had changed. She's still the sweet, funny, kinda dorky girl she was then. I'm still a bit of a misfit, I still sing. Even back in primary school I was a music geek.

I'll be at the wedding in a few hours and I'll be seated with some friends I went to middle school with - grade 7 and 8. I hated those years and that school, but my friends were good ones, and I met The Colombian then too. He won't be there, but you get the time frame.

Anyway.

Then last weekend I played a gig with a friend I made when I was 10 at summer camp. I haven't seen him since I was 14, and there we were, laughing as if we were still lining up for food in the mess hall.

I don't know if I have a point, but it's really touching how despite getting older and branching out into new communities and friend groups, I can still feel at home with these people I've known for so long. We may not keep in regular contact, we may go 10 or 15 years without talking, but we can slide right back into things as though nothing has changed.

It feels nice.

The things you find in a quaint B&B

2011-07-31T05:16:00.000-07:00

My BH and I went to a really fun wedding in Prince Edward County last weekend. Two of our good friends were getting hitched in the backyard of the bride's parents, and I was playing a song as part of the ceremony. It was a wild and crazy night, with lots of booze, dancing, good conversations and the rare chance to see my BH all sauced.

So sauced that he invented a dance move called "the shower" and wandered around for a while "washing people's hair."

A great evening, all in all.

The county is a beautiful place. We drove around some of the small towns within the area, marvelling at how damn pretty it is out there with the vineyards and the giant oak trees. We also had lunch at the Waupoos cider place, and I fell in love with their peach / apple cider. Drooly.

The weekend ended with a very funny little twist.

We were staying at a small B&B in the main town. It was very typical - floral bedding, conservatively furnished, country style everything. A kind old lady owned the place, and she was very sweet the few times we chatted with her.

I was tidying our room, making sure we hadn't forgotten anything, when I decided to look at the floor carefully in case something had been dropped. I noticed something on the ground next to my bedside table and walked over to investigate.

It took me a minute to realize what it was, as I stood there staring, probably looking quite vacant.

Ah yes.

It was a jelly cock ring. Belonging to a previous guest, in the quaint, conservative little B&B out in the countryside. I covered it up with tissue and threw it out, lest the kind old lady think it was a doggie chew toy.

My BH and I giggled about it all the way home.

Smooth Lines for Talking to DJs

2011-07-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

So.

As some of you may remember, I help out with events run by Ottawa's favourite sex store, because hello, that is a totally predictable thing for a banjo player to do.

We had one of our kick-ass dance parties last Friday and it was, in my humble opinion, one of our best ever. The DJs absolutely kicked it and I discovered a whole style of music I didn't know existed (moombahton - god bless it for being so catchy). We raised some money for a good cause and danced our hearts out in the process.

My only fails of the evening were:

a. Drinking too many martinis. So many that when I got home, I looked in the bathroom mirror and said, "Why won't my face stop spinning?" (I never did get the answer. I passed out roughly 10 seconds afterwards.)

b. Forgetting pleasantries and instead of introducing myself to the DJ, I tapped him on the shoulder, gestured to his gear, and said, "Could you cut the sound for a second? I need to give away a vibrator."

How's that for a smooth line? Seriously.

Anyway, the event reminded me how lovely it is to be in my neighbourhood, in my community, in this city I'm so fond of. Ottawa's only boring if you can't be bothered to look around at all the cool stuff simmering below the surface.

In other news, my contract at work is up in a couple of weeks, and then I'm back to the more predictable flow of my old job. I don't know how I feel about that yet, but one thing's for sure: I'll have more time for gigging. Woo!

Since I have nothing else to say that is witty and exciting, here is a comic about my favourite hot sauce: TASTY FIRESTORM.

Back to life!

2011-07-13T03:54:00.001-07:00

Hello, Internet.

My insane-o job has finally cooled down. It was a nutty, amazing and super rewarding experience, and I got to know those big old buildings on Parliament Hill really well in the process.

For a day job that sustains me while I putter away with music, I struck it pretty lucky.

As of now, I'm promised a quiet summer. I've only had a week of peace and I was already able to tie up some fairly drastic loose ends, including finalizing the graphics for the new album, finishing the mastering, working on a new web site, and booking a gig mid-August (Ottawa peeps, come hang at the Elmdale with me?).

I'm completely out of habit when it comes to blogging. Completely. But I will try some baby steps to get back into it and hopefully a few of you are still reading.

'Till next time!

GAWD

2011-06-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. GAWD. People.

Safe to say this new job has eaten my life. The busy period should end around mid-July. Until then, unfortunately, I will remain an unreliable blogger.

However, since my plans for today fell through, I have some time to say hello. I promise I'm still following all of you dear local bloggers, but I haven't been commenting much lately. Booo.

A week or two ago, I did manage to have a life... I attended a fabulous event called Crap Art. At Crap Art, a group of local songwriters get together and write as many songs as possible in 24 hours. Random instruments, song themes, sound effects and other craziness is encouraged.

I had a fucking BLAST.

This is my friend, the guitarron. I played it briefly before moving on to the thumb piano.

I also wrote a song on this sweet little banjolele. Funny, I have a banjolele of my own, but I've never written on it. When I get my life back, that will change.

And, since you probably miss my dogs terribly, here are some photos for you. My dear, sweet Frida:

My handsome Morty:

The album remains unfinished. I KNOW! I still have a song to mix, and I think we're going to wade into the deep end and hire an accordion player for a song that still needs some help. I'd really love to move on to mastering. One day, one day...

Until next time!

In Bed

2011-05-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still failing you as a blogger these days, but at least I have some pictures this time. I call this one "Sadface," and it's the look Frida gives me when my BH leaves for work in the morning. She sits on his side of the bed, looking morosely at the distinct lack of human under the covers.

Poor bunny.

Life is great lately, just incredibly busy. I am loving the new job despite the madness, although it means I haven't been able to finish mixing my last two songs for the album. We're still trying to work out when that's going to happen, but we're not technically behind schedule yet. In the meantime, I'm working away at getting the new music web site up and running. Bit by bit, I suppose.

Here is one of my favourite people in one of my favourite places: my producer, Dean, setting up my favourite mic in the studio. Lots of good things in one fuzzy cell phone picture.

Here he is setting up the glockenspiel. I actually ended up playing it on the album. It sounded a bit like a demented nursery rhyme for psychotic children... But in a pretty way. Y'know?

Aah, my Frida looking out the side window. Those birds are leftover Christmas decorations, but I haven't had the heart to take them down. Eventually.

We've hired a dog trainer for Morty because he's turning into a lunger. I don't mind him scaring intruders and creepy people, but I do mind him scaring... Everyone else. Our trainer is pretty hardcore. She's really training us more than she's training Morty, but that's how the system works, it seems.

In other news, it's my birthday on Friday. I got an interesting early Happy Birthday message from someone I used to know on Facebook. Shall I share it? Ahem:

Hello (Hella Stella),

Have a great birthday! Jesus died to save us from our sins by being crucified. He is so amazing!

God bless you!

Sandra

Well! Nice to know she's thinking of me. Me and my corrupted soul. Do you think I should tell her how much I'm enjoying living in sin? Because here's the thing... My BH? He is so amazing too. In bed.

Anyway, I miss you, Internet. See you soon.

Good Cause

2011-05-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sleepy.

Last night was the CD release party for a compilation album I'm on. The project is raising money for Haiti relief, and it's been in the works for about a year. I was pretty much blown away with the talent of the folks there... Seriously, what a great group of people! Ottawa musicians, man. They are something else.

We even had a Juno award winner on stage... The same lovely lady you see above. She did a wicked Nina Simone cover. Gave me goosebumps.

Here is some info on the project. The CD is great, and I'm not just saying that because I'm on it.... ;)

Each artist got a 15 minute slot, so three to four songs each. I was surprisingly nervous for my set, which seems to be happening more and more lately. Why am I only getting nervous for gigs now? I've been playing this style of music live for well over a decade. I think my brain is turning into a pansy-ass wimp. Or maybe I just don't practice enough. *ahem... ever*

Once I got on stage, all was well and I didn't even remember the nerves. Odd. Then I proceeded to get drunk on Guinness and some delicious beer that tastes like grapefruit. Stiegl? I think that's what it's called. You should try it. It's irritatingly good.

A girl I've known since we were kids came to the show.... We lost touch after high school and it was pretty great to see her there. We behaved like we hadn't lost any time at all. It's strangely heartwarming to be able to pick up with someone after a decade or so and feel like nothing has changed. I like it, even if it means I'm still the same trucker-mouthed dirtbag I was back then.

At least I'm consistent.

The new job is all-consuming, and I feel like I won't hit my stride until we're well into summer. For now I'll just flounder through and try to do my best. Did I mention 100% of my meetings are in French? Takes some getting used to, but it's actually pretty cool.

I've also got a daunting spring cleaning /renovation list that haunts me at night. So much to do, so little money.

Wait, what am I complaining about? At this time last year, we were a couple weeks away from taking possession of this house. Our first house. We had a crazy summer surrounded by sawdust and circular saws and broken glass and drywall. If doing spring cleaning is my biggest concern this year, I'll gladly take it.

In other news: what the fuck is going on with this election? Tomorrow should be quite the event. I look forward to watching the results roll in. Fingers crossed that the outcome won't make me cry.

Well Shit

2011-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well shit.

A lot of time has passed since my last post. So much time that I can't possibly catch you up with my comings and goings. Let's just start with today and see where that takes us, yes?

First off, it's my BH's birthday today. We've had a lovely time eating lemon torte, picking up sushi, walking the dogs, picnicking with our friends over Vietnamese subs, watching Fantastic Mr. Fox, and reading. He's a laid back dude and he likes laid back birthdays. I am happy to oblige.

The album keeps on trucking. I now have two songs left to mix, and I think we can still stay on schedule if I really focus over the next month. I'm also lending my vocals this week to some friends who are recording what will no doubt be a stellar album - I'm very much looking forward to hearing the finished product.

One of my nearest and dearest, The Colombian, will be visiting me in a month. I see him so rarely, and holy hell, I am super fucking excited to catch up a bit. I'm hoping to make a trip to see him sometime next year, although that will depend on the finances, as usual.

The new job is nutters, but I'm good at it so far, and it's anything but boring. It's more event planning than communications, so I'm in a different world, employment-wise. Oh, these day jobs. They mess with the brain.

My dogs are snoring beside me, and my BH is watching a movie on his laptop. Life is good. Sorry I was away for so long, but I promise to get back into my regular blogging schedule, hopefully with pictures too.

Redux

2011-03-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Here I go again with my sporadic posting. I swear I'll get back on the wagon soon.

Here is why I'm neglecting my bloggerly duties this time around:

My taxes nearly killed me this year, and I've just accepted that they will not be done on time. I don't think I've ever finished them late, but fuck it, I'd rather pay a fee than lose my brain over this.

I start my new job on Monday. I got a briefing from my new boss today.... Just a quick recap of my duties. Folks? The experience will be great, I have no doubt, but the workload might just finish me off. I will be dead to the world. (Attached to this stress: I still need to move my office and train my replacement)

I have to mix four songs before the album can move onto the next stage. But I have no time. And my producer has no time. So there they sit, waiting for some love. Poor unfinished songs.

I've become addicted to Harry Potter fan fiction. Whatever, don't judge. Something's got to take my mind off my panic-inducing To Do list.

I'm playing a gig this Saturday and although I'm pumped, there's a whole lot of stuff I need to do to prepare. No time! GAAAAH!

My backyard has become a mud pit, and as such, my house has become indescribably messy. I really need to get some grass out there. If I see another muddy paw print on my clean duvet cover, I'm going to cry.

I think there's more, but frankly, I think I've bored you enough. More soon when I've got something fun to talk about!

Feverish Tossing and Turning

2011-03-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Booooo, I have been felled by a nasty cold.

I stayed home from work today, but I've got three meetings tomorrow that I can't miss, so it appears that I'll be going in no matter how I feel.

Have I mentioned that I only have one more week at my current job, and then I'm off to do my six-month contract? I can't believe how quickly it happened, even with all that nonsense to find a replacement. Anyway, I'm excited, but I have no idea what to expect. I've been in my current job for four years now, and it's a little daunting to move into something completely different, away from my coworkers. I mean, totally, completely different. Thank goodness I like a challenge.

The album stuff is coming along nicely, and I actually have a gig coming up if any of you Ottawa folks want to see me play.... I'll be at Irene's on April 2nd. It will be a grand time.

Off for a night of feverish tossing and turning! Huzzah!

Sigh of Relief

2011-03-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Aaaaah. I am done (for now) with the studio, 6 songs finished and four more almost done. I'll need to book an evening here or there to finish up completely, but it feels good to be so far along.

Amazingly, I woke up this morning with a sore throat, and I'm currently wrapped in a blanket because I can't seem to get warm enough. If I have indeed come down with a cold, I am incredibly thankful that it waited to attack until I was done singing into a mic.

Reflecting on my recording experience this time around, it's pretty clear that I've learned a shit-ton in a short amount of time.

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, my last album took a year to make. All the tracks except one were heavily edited and multitracked, and we let ourselves get obsessed with the details. I don't regret that at all, but it is what it is.

This album was basically recorded in three weekends. All except two of the songs were recorded live of the floor (me singing and playing at the same time) and those tracks were all meant to be scratch takes. After listening back, we decided they were actually good enough to keep.

I realize my tone of "voice" may not translate through my writing, but if I were telling you this in person, I'd sound amazed. I can't believe how quickly this album has come together. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be using live scratch tracks as the base for an entire CD, I'd have laughed you into next week. A lot of things I did this time around were techniques I had abandoned years ago, or simply ignored. Yes, it's not as polished as Sleeper was, but it's got an energy that Sleeper didn't have. I'm really proud of it.

We're still months away from having physical copies in our hot little hands, but I'll let you all know how it's going as we inch towards the goal.

I'm off to bed with the hopes of avoiding a full-blown illness.... More soon!

Strange Runes

2011-03-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hello sugars!

To make up for the fact that I've been such an absentee blogger, I present to you a picture of my hair.

Or lack thereof.

Milan took it (thanks Milan!), stating that "You need a record of the fact that someone shaved strange runes into your head." What can I say? I asked for something improvised and weird, and I'm not disappointed in the least.

In other news, I have a start date for the new job. I can't believe it! Things will be mind-bogglingly busy from now until July, but I think I'll learn a lot. Not sure what they'll make of my hair, but they're just going to have deal.

I promise I'll get back to regular blogging after this weekend - my last full one in studio. I miss it already.

Things Be Crazy

2011-03-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

Remember that time I fell off the face of the earth and forgot to update my blog? Dang.

Apologies for things being a bit sparse here. Things be crazy.

I'm approaching what is likely the last block of time I've got to work on the album. I love deadlines, but man, I sure hope I get everything done!

Some other exciting things:

- I'm getting ready to start brainstorming the CD package with my graphic designer. She is scary good, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.

- We've hired a trumpet player! I kept hearing the potential for muted trumpet when we listened back to certain songs, and luckily my producer knew of someone perfect.

- Looks like we're getting some fiddle too! Yeah!

- I'm waiting for manufacturing quotes, and I'm nervous about how much it's going to cost me.

*************************

On the job front, they've agreed to let me take the job, but first they need to find a replacement. You can see where this is going: they can't seem to find a replacement.

(groan)

I will call on my inner Transformer if they try and back out of it. I guess we'll just wait and see.

Blankly

2011-03-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

1. I won the fight. Thanks, inner Transformer. New job for spring / summer! Woot! (picture me flexing my biceps)

2. I am so, so, so damn tired. I spent the weekend holed up in the studio, and although it was insanely productive and fun, I feel completely braindead. People have been asking me questions all morning and I've just been looking at them blankly, forgetting to respond.

3. We ended up hiring a longtime blog reader to play on the album yesterday! Hi Dave! Sometimes I forget that people actually read this thing.

4. Milan stopped by to take some photos of the studio... Maybe you'll see them here soon. My little point and click can't compete with his impressive lens. (Mind out of the gutter, y'all. I'm actually talking cameras here.)

5. My BH will be finished his housesitting stint as of tonight, and he's promised me a hot date upon his return. Yessss. He bought me tulips on Saturday, and I've gotta say, I miss the guy something fierce.

I feel like there is more to tell you, but I think I'll just stare blankly at the wall for a while and fantasize about sleep.

Giant, ass-kicking robot alien

2011-03-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

So this job stuff has gone completely nuts. It's moving fast.

I became unhappy about my work earlier this week. Yesterday I had an interview, which went swimmingly. Today I seem to have a very cool offer for a short work term, but management has to agree to let me go. Management seems to have remembered that I am a really good employee, and they are nervous. So I still don't know where I will end up.

This whole situation is teaching me about an oft-hidden aspect of my personality:

If they don't let me take the job, they will have a full blown, claws out, teeth bared, smackdown of a fight on their hands. Why? Because when things grate on my nerves, I morph into an unpleasant person to deal with. I can feel a growl inside of me and the volume is growing. I am not scared of my managers, and I am not scared of my managers' managers. I am ready to metaphorically tackle each and every one of them until they submit and call me Madam.

In fact, this part of my personality could well be illustrated by a terrible movie I haven't even watched all the way through: Transformers.

I am a normal, reliable car. I can get people from Point A to Point B. You can count on me to do my job without guzzling too much gas. I'm even fun to drive.

However, if you fuck with me, I turn into a giant, ass-kicking robot alien that will eat you alive. Dig?

In less terrifying news, I'll be in the studio all weekend making pretty music with some of my favourite people. I have no plans to kick anyone's ass into next week while I'm there. I will return to my zen state and enjoy the calm before Monday hits.

So. How are you doing?

Because I Know

2011-03-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Today was an absolute bust.

It figures that as my musical life is coming together, my day job would fall to shit. The upside is that I am long overdue for a change in work, and that the places I may end up sound pretty neat.

The downside is that office drama keeps me up at night and makes me want to watch Funny Or Die videos until I fall asleep on my laptop. Anxious, angry, and frustrated: kicking around in my chest.

My BH is housesitting for the week, so it's just me and the dogs. I honestly want to do nothing more than mull a pot of wine and watch dumb movies. I know there are more productive things I could focus my energy on, but that will have to be it for now.

Le sigh.

Here is a picture of a cake, because I know you like cake.

And the cake likes you. It told me so.

Crazy and Loving it

2011-02-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Colour me shocked.

When I started up a fundraising site for my new album, hoping to cover some of the costs through fan donation, I didn't really know what to expect. The donations have been steady though, clocking in at about $1000 when I include cash contributions. That's a helpful amount of money.

Last night, I got a notification of a new donation. Someone I've never met who lives in Chicago donated $500.

I choked on my tea.

$500? You must be shitting me.

Everything checked out though, and I was left assuming the inevitable: He must be crazy. This poor, crazy fellow in Chicago crazily donated a crazy amount of money. I would have to refund it, because I would be taking advantage of him otherwise. Seeing as how he was crazy.

Luckily, I decided to send him an e-mail before hitting the refund button.

It was a difficult letter to write.

"Hi! Thanks for your generous donation! Are you crazy?"

No, that wouldn't do.

"Hello! I notice that you have donated a large sum of money to me. Is everything okay?"

No. Awkward.

I settled with, "Hello! That is a lovely donation. Let's talk."

Turns out he's not crazy, he's just a big fan.

Dudes, if I ever ask myself why I keep this songwriter thing going, remind me that some folks really REALLY dig good music. It's worth it for that reason alone.

Current Me

2011-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

First of all, you guys are charming. I write what I think is the most boring post EVAR and you still comment. Love to you. Responses coming.

Other things:

I'm thinking of shaving half my head. Not the underside like I used to... Just the left half. And I want patterns shaved into it. And I'm also planning two rather large tattoos.

I've always felt that I looked too tame on the outside. Maybe this is the start of the transition towards properly reflecting my trucker mouth / dirty mind. I welcome it. Honestly, I think working a safe office job is making me go a little nutso. Time to break out! BLAMMO!

Speaking of breaking out, it looks like there might be a high school reunion for my class this summer. We all keep in touch over Facebook, but it will be very fucking strange to see everyone in person. Awesome, probably, but strange. Some of my best friends are people I knew in high school, so I see them all the time, but for the majority? I probably haven't laid eyes on them since prom. The same prom where I drank my face off, crawled around in agony on my hotel room floor, got stranded in a dive bar called the Rum Shack, and lost most of my graduating class as soon as dinner was done.

Oh yeah, THAT prom.

Don't ask me how it all played out, because I don't remember much more than that.

I wonder what my 19-year-old self would have thought of Current Me....

She would have congratulated me for nabbing such a hottie, definitely. She would be super into my bulldogs. She'd love that I'm still recording music. She'd probably think my job was suffocating, but three out of four isn't bad. Come to think of it, she'd totally high five me for buying a house in my favourite neighbourhood. Dude, I didn't do too badly!

I Need To Get Out More

2011-02-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

I feel like my life is in a holding pattern at the moment, which is probably why I'm not blogging as much as usual. I'm going through the motions, doing my everyday stuff, but it's all overshadowed by the looming album prep.

Here's the funny thing: it's not like I'm working around the clock on the CD. Quite the opposite. The only "work" I'm doing right now is helping develop the new web site, planning finances, sorting out my promo ideas, and waiting for my next studio session. It's just that this big goal is weighing on my brain, and it will continue to do so until it's finished. I like the weight - it reminds me of what I'm good at.

The challenge is to think of other things to talk about while my thoughts are stuck on a hamster wheel.

I know... How about French verbs? Do you know how spectacularly bad I am at French verbs, even though I can understand and speak the language without much issue? It's embarrassing, frankly, but I'm too stubborn to give up this easily. Here's my problem: I look at a French verb conjugation question, my brain says "THIS IS LIKE MATH! AAAAH!" and then I freeze. No matter how many tricks I memorize, how many times I go over verb charts, my brain has a seizure and runs away.

However, because I need to improve, I also need to find a way to understand something that insists on remaining abstract and distant. My coworker suggested I start reading in French, more than just work e-mails, to normalize how all these exercises are used in regular conversation. I think that's a great idea. Here's hoping I don't crash and burn. I think I'll start with Harry Potter in French, so I like the story enough to continue.

I could also talk about my dogs, which would be strange and unusual for me.

If you've been reading here a while, you may remember that when we got Frida last year, the transition to a two-dog household was anything but smooth. Both dogs were freaked out, they didn't get along, and Morty was sad. It was the worst.

It's been almost a year since that shitty time, and dudes, it's like night and day. Not only do they love each other, but they nap together (imagine limbs all entwined, porky bulldog dreams, and nuzzling), and they occasionally share toys.

THEY SHARE TOYS.

For about 8 months, whenever Frida would show interest in a toy, Morty would stroll over, knock her out of the way, and remove the plushie in question. Now, astoundingly, they can both chew on either end of a toy and be quite comfortable. It's a delightful transition.

And that concludes today's rambling post about French verbs, porky bulldogs, and heavy brains. Holy shit, I need to get out more.

Sensory Overload

2011-02-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

More of those intense, vivid dreams. What is going on with my brain?

Photo 1: Morty playing couch monster. He squeezes himself under the couch, waits for fingers or toes to slide by, and attacks! It's his favourite game. I would like it too if I didn't get chomped on so often.

Photo 2: Studio mess. Love it.

Photo 3: Dean, being awesome. Love that guy.

Today has been a bit of a shit show, so I'm looking forward to wine and rest this evening. Even if rest comes with terrifying dreams. Do you think I could drink the dreams away? (I'll give it a shot, just for kicks)

Some Things

2011-02-16T10:36:00.001-08:00

Some things I've been up to when I'm not crying in the studio:

Having nightmares! It's the oddest thing. They aren't monstrous or dark, but they replay uncomfortable or unpleasant events over and over in my mind. I guess all this artistic fulfillment comes with a price. My brain is rebelling.

Avoiding my taxes! On top of doing my taxes for regular job stuff, I do taxes for my music, and now taxes for the duplex. I am so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of paperwork that I'm pretending tax season isn't approaching like a steam train. *fingers in ears, lalalala*

Enjoying French lessons! I finally switched teachers after I nearly got in a shouting match with the last one. My new teacher is my age, actually helps me improve my language skills, and gets my jokes. It's the greatest thing.

Painting the kitchen! Okay, I'm not painting the kitchen... My BH is. But he's doing a lovely job. We've been dealing with a serious case of The Ugly since we moved in here - the last owner put vinyl stick flooring on the walls instead of wallpaper. For serious. What a card!

A Long One

2011-02-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

I finally have a moment to tell you about studio happenings. Where to start?

I have ten songs to record over the course of three full weekends. This past weekend was the first of those. We started off recording "scratch tracks," which is a rough version of a song done (usually) to a click track. A click track is where the metronome clicks away loudly on top of the music - we do this to help the drummer (and everyone else) stay in time. The click gets taken out once the main work is done.

We got all our scratch tracks done, all our drums done, and a few real vocals / instruments done too. In short: a very, VERY productive weekend. We were a bit flabbergasted that it went by so quickly. We even finished a song, beginning to end.

Jack, the drummer, is by far the most professional drummer I've ever worked with. Not only did he chart out every song with his full part, but he got everything on the first or second try, and nailed every idea we threw at him. I was astounded, since I've worked with some very *relaxed* drummers in the past, and most of the time it's been a bit of a headache. Jack used to be my drum teacher, so it was neat to get to know him as a studio musician this time around. He's quite the perfectionist.

Dean is my engineer and producer. He was my engineer and producer for the last album too, so this all feels very familiar. However... One major thing has changed over the past four years:

We've both gotten a lot better.

I'm not saying that to be boastful. I'm really a bit surprised by how much we've learned since the last time. To put it in perspective, the last album took a year to record. This one may be finished in a month, maybe less.

Now that the meat and potatoes explanation is out of the way, let's talk about our feelings.

FEELINGS! - TIMONEER

This album didn't arrive with grace; it fought the whole way. As many of you know, I've been dealing with writer's block for over three years. As a songwriter, I was feeling pretty lost through the whole experience. My writer's block was kicked to the curb when a childhood friend of mine died this past summer - I had to write about it, or I was going to turn into a nervous wreak. So I wrote. And wrote. And the gates opened. And now there is an album in the works.

The song that started everything is called Timoneer, and I've had a hard time playing it since it was written. It just makes me so, so sad. But it needed to be recorded, so we dove into it yesterday with the intention of getting a scratch track finished. An hour an a half later, we had a completed song with four layers of harmony.

Dean put the song on when it was done so we could listen back in the comfort of the studio. He turned off the lights so that we wouldn't get distracted by all the mess. It was a good thing he turned them off, because I turned into a puddle as soon as the song started. I had been really focused during the recording, but now that it was done, it had the usual effect of making me feel like I'd been kicked in the stomach. I bawled my eyes out while it played, mopped up my face on my dress, and decided that now was a good time for a break.

The song is crazy good. It's just not very uplifting. Now I'm trying to decide how I can contact my friend's family to get them a copy. I think they would want it, but I don't know. I really don't know what to do about it.

FEELINGS! - MY BOYS

"My boys" will probably also include some girls, but for now, they are very much dudes.

I have a small group of musicians on this album due to the lack of time, and although we've only had one weekend so far, I feel like adopting them all. Maybe it's just me who sees it, but there's a real connection between me and the people who are helping me get this album done. I have no idea how to thank then properly (other than pay them, of course). They are helping me reach my goals, and I would fucking throw down for them. Basically, I'm saying that I love them to pieces. Especially Dean, who seems to share my brain, and is already talking about ideas for our NEXT album when this one is done.

FEELINGS! - MY JOB

Well, shit. I spend a lot of my time explaining why I like having a day job, why I am happy not doing music full time, why I am good at multi-tasking, and most of it is true. But then I get into the studio and I feel like I'm finally doing something right. This is what I do best. I'm good at my day job, but I don't miss it when I leave, and it doesn't invade my brain the way studio work does. What other job makes me cry because something comes out sounding exactly the way it does in my head?

So the question becomes... Is there any way I could be supported by my music?

I'd need to get out of debt, and I'd probably need to transfer major payments over to my BH, but even then..... Who knows. It feels like a lost cause. But it's on my mind.

Thanks for being patient if you've made it to the end of this post. There are so many words in my brain right now, and it looks like a lot of them spilled onto this here blog.

More studio updates soon!

It's Coming Together

2011-02-12T17:21:00.000-08:00

What to say, what not to say...

2011-02-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

Now that the album prep is in full swing, I'm being asked a lot of questions about my plans. Titles, song arrangements, design ideas, etc.

It's been tough deciding how much info to divulge before I start to censor... And this is for a few reasons. Mainly this: I question my judgement when I get too much input.

Last time I released an album, I let others guide me through the process. I got a lot of advice, weighed my options, and tried to make the best choices given what I had been told.

The thing is, after it was all done, I realized that I would have been much happier with my original ideas. I didn't like some of the things I tried; I didn't like how I had let myself be swayed by people's comments and suggestions.

So I think I'm done. Unless I deem it completely harmless, I'm not going to share too many album details until the work is finished. When it comes to creative projects, my gut seems to know what it's doing.... And I'm thankful for that.

Some things that are moving forward:

- The new website should be up by April! Squeee!

- I'm rehearsing this week with my drummer, and we record together next weekend.

- I have another new song, and I like it.

In unrelated news, look at my adorable dogs:

Point Form

2011-01-31T14:21:00.001-08:00

I'm starting to fall into a blogging rut as album preparations take over my brain. So... How about a point-form post?

What I've been up to:

- Went skating on the canal with Milan. He had assured me that he wasn't much of a skater, which I stopped believing after he did his seventh twirly thing and stopped on a dime. I responded by falling several times, moving at the speed of a slug, and preferring to ram into objects, people or walls instead of trying to stop. (I still don't really know how to stop)

- Helped celebrate Venus Envy's 10th anniversary at Club Saw. I co-hosted, worked the door, helped set up and tear down, and donned a shiny teal dress that might as well have been a shirt. It was a fine evening.

- I re-read the Harry Potter series in anticipation of the final movie coming out later this year. There's no denying it - I am a rabid fan.

- Took Morty to the vet. When the vet got down on her knees to whisper sweet nothings in Morty's ear, he got excited and pooped on the floor. Frida just purred happily. Those crazy bulldogs.

- Wrote another new song. Aww yeah.

More soon when I can think of something interesting to write about!

Vomitus

2011-01-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

I'm home sick after a particularly vomitus evening. Is that a word? It is now, at any rate.*

I'll use the sick day(s) to plan out the album a little more.... Studio time is approaching fast, and I'm worried about being ill-prepared.

Great news: I've found a web designer. Better than that, I've found a web designer I can afford! Did I mention that the last place I called quoted me $5000 - $10,000 for what I wanted? YEAH. I nearly lost my dinner then, too. Thanks to everyone who sent along their suggestions - you are lovely.

I'm itching to show you all my new press shots, just because I'm super excited about them. However, seeing as how I very rarely post pictures of myself on here, I'll probably have to wait until the new music site is up and running. Then you'll get the full package deal.

It's tricky, this independent music stuff. I can't afford to do it full time, although I'd like to be able to. I also refuse to think of myself as an amateur just because it's not my only job, so when I take on projects, I want them to be as professional as possible. Tough line to balance when everything has a price. Am I making sense? I'm just saying that I'd really like this next album to be good.

I think I'll try to get a cup of tea down my throat before bed. Goodnight!

*I'm not pregnant! (as far as I know)

Winter Just Started

2011-01-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

I read a lot of blogs, and on those blogs I keep hearing people say that they are ready for spring.

Ready for spring? Ready for spring??

I'm going to hope that the people writing such things live in a warm part of the US, because I am just hunkering down for winter. January is going fast, certainly, but February and March have yet to arrive. I suspect they will kick our collective asses.

I guess what I'm trying to say is.... I can't think about spring yet. Too soon.

Speaking of hunkering down, the new album seems to be shaping up around a theme of hibernation. I like that. I also got a sneak peek at my new press shots, and I am super excited to get the finished product in my hands. According to my BH, I look angry in them. Great! This album already feels a lot moodier than the last one, so bring it on.

I'm also *tentatively* talking with someone about redesigning my web site. I say *tentatively* because I don't want to jinx the process... Do you know how hard it's been to find a fully-trained web designer? Good lord, if I knew there was such a shortage, I would have gotten myself trained up ages ago. Fingers crossed that they are cool, and that I can afford their services.

This weekend I plan to clean the house. For some reason, I have trouble motivating myself to do serious cleaning on weeknights. I'm saving it all up for Sunday, I guess.

Have a good weekend!

De-Lurking, And New Hair

2011-01-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

Dang! I missed de-lurking day! I seem to miss it every year.... It's like the Polkaroo.

Let's pretend it's actually today, shall we? Lurkers! Regulars! Pop out and say hello. :)

Some more musical things have happened. My old producer came to visit. We plied him with coffee, cinnamon buns and bulldogs. It was the perfect way to start discussing recording.

Dudes, I think I might find myself in the studio in under a month. I'll do some prep recording at home, we'll hash out our ideas in advance, and I'll be studio bound. I can't believe it's really happening. I don't have enough money to do a whole recording yet, but I'll just do what I can and figure it out as I go. Total opposite of how I did things last time. Remember, you can still donate here if you want to help support the new album!

I also did a photo shoot yesterday to get some new pictures for the album / web site. It was insanely cold and we shot everything in a dog park, so basically an open field. I couldn't feel my toes when we were done, but I'm feeling really optimistic about the pictures. I'll get to see them in about a week.

Oh, also? I got new hair. Or rather, I told my stylist to "have fun and shave something." Luckily she chose my head.

I don't know what it is, but I like it.

Debt Talk

2011-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

I'm in a great mood because I just put a decent chunk of money on my credit card. I know that could change when the next bill rolls in, but for the moment, I feel financially responsible.

If you've been reading a while, you may remember that I love organizing and financial planning. Both those things are funny because while I may be organized, I'm not tidy, and while I may love financial planning, I'm bad at math. So I'm messy (but I label everything!), and very good at planning money (as long as I don't have to do multiplication).

I bring this up because a year ago, when I was finding my house and making plans to buy it, I was super on top of things. I had lists, I had savings, and I was having a great time. As often happens with house purchases, I didn't factor in a bunch of stuff when I was getting organized, and all my great lists went to shit.

I blame most of this on the renovations going over budget, the fact that we barely had a budget to begin with, and the fact that we were trying to do everything on one income. When my BH graduated and jobs weren't immediately rolling in, my stress hit the roof, and the following thing happened:

On payday, my mortgage would come out, my bills would come out, and my loan payment would come out.

Then I'd have about $100 for two weeks, with two adults, two dogs, groceries, and everything else that comes up in life.

This is a really roundabout way of explaining why my credit card got so out of hand.

It's funny because, as a financial planning geek, I could see what was happening. Obviously I didn't want to put anything new on the card, but short of living off lentils and avoiding all our friends, we would need to spend money here and there. We just held out hope that my BH would be able to find a good job, and then we'd tackle the mess.

Now my BH is working, and with his contributions, I have been able to dump money onto that card like you wouldn't believe. It feels so nice, and I'm going to keep it up until it's gone. Then I'm going to destroy my debt. Hear that, debt? I'm gonna fuck you up.

Yeah.

The End.

Music! Music!

2011-01-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

Some exciting things are happening.

1. I am booking studio time. It's preemptive, because I still don't know how much recording I'll be able to do at home, but either way I will need the studio for drums, mixing and general finessing. We're looking at March or April. Holy AWESOME. I have missed those long nights at the studio, and trust me when I say I never thought I would. I'll be heading back to my home away from home, Gallery Studios in the Glebe.

2. This weekend, I am doing a photo shoot with a fabulous local photographer who will help me pick the look for my new album / web site.* I still haven't secured a web designer (I honestly can't believe how hard it's been to find someone who can do what I need) but I've got the new site planned out and it's going to be neato. I might even dabble with the Twitter, even though I hate the Twitter. We'll see if I can stand it. What do you think, media-savvy folks? Is it worth it for promotion, or will it go the way of Myspace? Because part of me thinks it's the devil.

3. I have another new song, which means not only is my writers' block gone, I am writing more than I have in about six years. Morty isn't happy about it, because it requires handling instruments, and instruments are SCARY. Poor bulldog.

*"Photo shoot" sounds very posh, I know, but I can assure you this will be anything but posh. We plan to climb onto various roofs in Centretown, wrap me in oversized coats, and snap some shots without dying. It's going to be excellent, providing I don't die.

Brainstorming

2011-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

It's really winter this time.

We had a drastic thaw not long ago, and although I'm not a huge fan of the cold, I found myself missing the snow. Part of that was because I prefer full-on winter over transition weather, but I also don't like how messy my yard gets when it's wet with no snow.

A section of the canal is even opening this weekend! (Not this section, just so we're clear)

Although I've nurtured a lifelong hatred of winter sports, I do plan on buying skates, and I also hope to learn cross-country skiing. We'll see if either of those things happen this winter.

This is a print I bought for Shawna, gave to her, and then bought one for myself because I liked it so much. Now we're art buddies.

I kinda want a spoof version that says "Do WHO you love," but that's just me.

In completely unrelated news, it feels so good not to be gigging right now. I've got something booked for April, but unless I get an irresistible offer, I'm going to stay away from shows for the winter. There's plenty on my plate without gigging - I've got an entire recording program to learn, not to mention a whole lot of songs wanting to be written. Oh, and an album to record.

What was I thinking?

Anyway, it's probably a good way to spend the winter. Maybe I'll spend every winter recording an album. I hibernate when it gets cold, so it might actually be the perfect winter activity.

Huh. I love brainstorming on the blog. Look what I come up with! WINTER RECORDING MANIA.

Resolutions, Or Something

2011-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011, internet!

My New Years was very nice, but had some odd twists and turns. I haven't really caught up on my sleep either, so I've got zombie eyes and I'm fighting off a headache. I'm looking forward to napping, whenever that happens....

(Please let it happen.)

One good thing that came from the holiday is the fact that I finished setting up my new studio equipment. I now spend at least a few hours per week playing with my digital drum machine. Scary fun. Suppose I should actually get some recording done, though.

I took down my Christmas tree before NYE in an attempt to get the house in order, and then I regretted it almost immediately. I think I'll wait a bit longer next year. Up around Dec. 1, down around Jan. 1. That makes more sense. You only get a tree once a year, after all.

I made this bunting sometime over Christmas break with scrap paper and ribbon. It's uplifting and pretty - maybe it will stay up for winter.

CUTE. Those are some awesome bulldogs right there. They look like I interrupted an important conversation. I'd like to think it was about how to kill the resilient squeak in that yellow pig to the right.

I've been reflecting a lot on 2010, since it was a year of absolute madness, and wondering what this next year will bring. A theme kept coming back to me about how I want to live : quality over quantity. In every way possible. With material stuff, with food, with gigs, with friends. Especially friends.

I'm at the point where I'll gladly take my small, close knit group of friends over just about anything. This past year, I've caught myself holding on to old friendships that seem to have expired, hoping that they will come back to life. Maybe I'm overly sentimental, but I hate to think of friendships dying out just because of spotty communication. Friendship is something to be nurtured! Still, I'm tired of the non-responsive and the one-sided nature of this hanging on. It's such a letdown. This will be my year to let go and appreciate those I have.

I have some very simple goals for 2011, and I'm not going to sweat it if they don't pan out.

- Pay down debt. Lord knows how much or how little, but whatever I can. I want it gone, and this is the year to start.

- Create. Ideally an album, but at very least give myself room to write songs, play with new instruments, do arts and crafts, and bake. I'm already well on my way.

- Enjoy this house. It was a process to buy it and fix it, but now I want to enjoy it. I reached a major life goal in buying a duplex, and I plan to love every inch of this home. Included in this goal: buy myself a hammock when the winter is done and soak up that backyard. After all, a giant motherfucking cement garage was standing there only a year ago! Imagine that.

I guess those are my "resolutions," but whatever you want to call them, they will be rewarding to fulfill.

Post-Christmas Blues, and a Recap

2010-12-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

How do you deal with the post-Christmas blues? Do you get them at all? I love this time of year, and when it's all over I definitely feel a little bummed out.

I think what does it for me is the fact that Christmas is such a nice reprieve from winter. We haven't even really gotten sick of the cold yet, but there's this marvelous break for family and food and gifts and music. How lovely!

Then the break ends, and we have another four months of snow and frigid temperatures. There are ways of dealing (hibernating for me, mulled wine, hearty winter cooking, bulldog snuggling), but in the end, you don't have a truly exciting holiday again for a while. Valentine's Day doesn't count, and Easter is right at the end of it. I would amp up our Passover celebrations, but they're in late April as well.

What do you do to keep the winter craziness away? I'd love to know.

Now 2010 is ending, and 2011 is starting up. It's safe to say that 2010 was the nuttiest year on record for my BH and I. We did the following, beginning on Jan. 2:

- Started looking for a duplex after being driven crazy by our new landlord.
- Endured awful awful awful renovations to our building that were not only intrusive, but illegal.
- Came home to our unlocked apartment, not once, but three separate times! Thank you, Landlord-Who-Will-Burn-In-Hell.
- Looked at a few places, all of which were fixer-uppers we didn't want to fix. Like that place with the spongy floors. Yikes.
- Saw the listing for our eventual home, viewed the place that day, bought it on the spot. Fixer-upper that we liked!
- Dealt with some very shady behaviour from the owner of the home. Persevered and pushed the sale through.
- My BH finished school. Oh my gawd, that was exciting. Salivated over the possibility of a second income.
- We decided that Morty needed company and started looking for older dogs to adopt. Found Frida, our furry angel. Became a two bulldog household.
- Took possession of house. Began extensive renovations within hours of getting the keys.
- Replaced the floors, bath, tile, knocked down a few walls, built a closet for laundry and one for a studio, knocked down the garage, had a fence built, had a shed put up, replaced the furnace and old hot water tank, replaced disintegrating sewage pipe, put on a new side door, had duct work done, tried (unsuccessfully) to grow grass, painted everything, removed ancient wallpaper.
- (My BH was studying for his registration exam while this was happening)
- Our lovely tenants moved in and I learned how to be a landlord.
- We moved in. Continued small renos for several months.
- My BH passed his registration! Started looking for jobs.
- I bought a new guitar, some recording gear, and began teaching myself how to make an album in a closet.
- My BH found a job that required a car. We bought on used. He started work!
- I decided to Get In Shape, and abandoned my plan very quickly. Why lift weights when I have a studio in the house???
- Morty and Frida now love each other to pieces, despite being opposites and not totally 'getting' each other at times.

Wow. Crazy to think that at this time last year, I was getting pre-approved for a mortgage that would start this crazy train rolling. Thank you for continuing to read - I know this blog isn't always the most exciting place to hang out, but I feel very happy that you keep wandering back.

It Was Good

2010-12-27T16:26:00.001-08:00

Aaah, we had a lovely holiday.

I had been looking forward to this Christmas for a long time, largely because of what I was gifting to my BH. I secretly collected the photos of his childhood in India (with lots of help from his sister), scanned them (it took DAYS) and made them into a photo book. I also made extra copies for his family. He had talked about these elusive pictures for years, never being sure where they had ended up. Just as I hoped, he seemed to really love the gift, as did his parents.

Everything else was great too. The food was wonderful, especially the traditional (haha) curry meal we have with his family. It's seriously my favourite Christmas dinner. Spicy curry with dal and rice. You should try it!

Now for some pictures:

The teeny Christmas tree at my folks' house.

My mom is fitting Frida for her winter coat, because Frida doesn't handle the cold very well. I know the picture's blurry, but I need to point out that the coat is made out of fake fur that looks real. So basically, when she's all dressed up, Frida looks like a Bubbi.

Morty loves to help people open Christmas presents. Unfortunately he also took the corner off this gift in the process. He's got quite a jaw.

We dressed Frida up in ribbon, and she seemed pretty chill about the whole thing.

Pfeffernusse! My favourite.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, my charming readers. Next on the agenda: New Years! This time the goal will be for a puke-free evening. Hopefully we meet our goal.

But seriously, no puking. I'm looking at you, BH. ;)

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

Frida the pissed-off reindeer dog wishes you a very Merry Christmas.

We tried to dress Morty up too, but he was scared of the felt antlers. Like a true bulldog.

My BH and I wish you a lovely holiday! BH will be working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day like a trooper, so we're just taking it easy at the house when he's off.

Cheers, folks!

Merry Merry

2010-12-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

Some scenes from around my house. No wonder I'm such a homebody... I never want to leave my little nest.

All Was Calm

2010-12-20T13:58:00.001-08:00

I'm back at work this week. It may seem odd that I took last week off instead of this week, but since I'm taking over for my boss while he's on Christmas vacation, it was a good option to rest up earlier.

I think that's actually the best way to do it. Last week was so calm, so productive and so creative. I knew Christmas was still a couple of weeks away, so I could just focus on relaxing instead of the stress of the season. If I can, I'll do the same thing next year.

Now we're in the final stretch. All my gifts are bought, but only some of them are wrapped. I'm trying to intercept some parcels from UPS, but they are making it difficult. Generally, things are under control (grumble grumble UPS).

Back to the calm productiveness of last week.... I actually wrote three songs! If you've been reading a while, you may know that I've had a long stretch of writer's block. Like, three years long. The stalemate was broken after my friend died this past summer. I wrote a song for him, and slowly started to write about other stuff. It was an odd feeling.... Like a dam had been opened. It makes me excited about recording a new album this winter. It's also a bit sad to be writing about such sad things, but that's how it goes, I suppose.

The recording itself has also been coming along. I've set up the studio and am learning how to use Pro Tools (the program I'm using to record with). My mic is working, my fancy new headphones are getting lots of use.... It's pretty fun. That being said, I'm going to need to improve a whole fuck of a lot if I'm going to record this album myself. So far the recordings sound distinctly (and understandably) amateur.

I'm thinking of starting either a Youtube or Vimeo account to post some of my new songs. Question, dear readers, music-types especially: which should I go with? Youtube is all over the place, so that's good, but Vimeo is sleeker. If you were making an account for promotion and to stay in contact with fans, what would you use and why? I'd love to hear your pros and cons.

Thanks honeys!

Merry Everything

2010-12-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Right when I was getting bummed about not having a Christmas tree, my BH surprised me by buying one and getting it all set up as a surprise.

AWESOME.

You can see our new couch there in the corner, along with my rather large collection of CDs. What can I say? I love CDs the way some audiophiles love their vinyl.

Today was my first day of vacation, and it was everything I hoped it would be. There was some cleaning, but the rest of the day was filled with Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album(s), cooking, and napping.

Merry everything. I love this time of year.

What I'm Up To

2010-12-11T18:42:00.001-08:00

Kissing this awesome baby, and teaching myself Pro Tools.

So far I've recorded one shitty vocal track with Frida snoring in the background. This album is going to be EPIC.

But seriously, is this not the greatest baby that ever was?

Those cheeks. THOSE CHINS.

The Office Musician

2010-12-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last night, I played at my office Christmas party.

This is not something that would normally appeal to me, but I actually offered this time around. One of my bosses was leaving, and I thought it would be a nice gesture. People were very sweet about it. I actually sold more CDs than I expected.

Playing for co-workers is a... Unique experience. I'm happy to share my "other job" with them, but I can't deny that it changes my professional relationships in the process. After they hear me play, I become a musician first, and co-worker second. On a personal level, I prefer this. I certainly put music ahead of my job when I think about my identity. But it does make meetings awkward when people change the subject to ask me about guitar lessons, or pitch their musical opinions my way. It's not really a complaint, but a strange side effect of having a musical line of work.

Speaking of musical opinions, this might have been the most frustrating part of the evening. It happens all the time, so it's certainly not reserved for my co-workers, but I have to ask: Why do people become authorities on my musical career after they've heard me play? It's very common for somebody to come talk to me after a gig with the sole purpose of giving me advice. Obviously they mean well, but they tend to have no experience with music, music management, recording, or running shows. Those who do have the experience? I welcome feedback. But holy, I could write a book about the strange advice I've been given.

Last night, a well-meaning colleague said that I should give up playing instruments and writing songs so I could "focus only on my voice."

"Like... A capella?" I said, confused.

"No, just, like, singing."

"But I sing the songs I write. And I play the songs I write."

"But you could sing pop music instead!"

He then proceeded to butcher a song on my banjo. Seriously, dude? This will sound rude, but don't give me stupid advice. It wastes my time. I write songs, I play instruments, and I'm not going to quit because you'd rather I sing pop music. My response to these opinion bombs is changing, too. I've always been as gracious as possible with people, but now I have to bite my tongue not to tell them to fuck off. Eventually the words will just slip out.

In other, more exciting news, I'm taking all of next week off. ALL WEEK.

My vacations tend to put me in stressful situations, far off countries, or I get stuck at home putting down wood floors. This time around, I'm spending the week with ME, doing some baking, recording, cleaning and napping. I'm so excited, I can't even explain it.

On that note, to the weekend we go!

Muppet Time

2010-12-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Oh hai!

I've been watching Muppet Christmas Carol on repeat. 'Tis the season, and damnit, it's just a great movie all around. Is anyone else fond of this movie too?

On other news, it seems that my French teacher and I don't get along. We tend to argue for the length of our lesson (politely), me messing up verbs in my frustration, and her reverting to broken English to make her point. Today we argued for an hour and a half about copyright laws. The upside is that I commited some words to memory that I usually forget.... "supposition," "mal gérée" and "consommateurs." We're both taking some time off for the holidays, so maybe we'll be blessed with schedules that don't gel when we return. I think she'd be happy to get a student who isn't so quick to argue, and I'd love a teacher who isn't quite so formal.

I think nearly all of my gifts are bought for Christmas... The only missing link is the tree. We haven't had a chance to pick one up yet, and it's starting to bum me out. I like to have the tree up for as much of the month as possible, since we only get to do this once a year. Maybe this weekend, if we're lucky. Fingers crossed!

In music news, it looks like I might be recording a (very inexpensive) music video sometime this winter! Details to come, when I've sorted them out.

Plain Jane

2010-12-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

This morning, I took my thick Canada Goose coat out of hiding, and wore it outside. It's quite cold now... Early winter instead of late fall. The snow looks like it's staying this time.

I'm actually relieved. Although I'm definitely a warm weather gal, I have trouble with in-between seasons. Full blown winter is much easier to handle than a non-committal Still Fall, Maybe.

Yesterday was a total shit show. My BH and I drove home after the gig, leaving Toronto at midnight and arriving in Ottawa at 5am. I don't tend to stay up past 2am ever. Pushing it to 5 while still needing to be alert for the drive? A little crazy. But my BH had to work, so we plugged ahead. One of our headlights burned out and I almost hit a deer, but otherwise we're fine. I also discovered that I prefer Old Fashioned Glaze and Chocolate Glaze doughnuts over all others. Who knew I was such a plain Jane doughnut eater?

Now.... The gig!

It was really lovely. The room was full; I think nearly every seat was taken. I played decently, but I was much more excited about Shawna and Jon, who did such nice sets. It was fun to be back to the Free Times. I'm not sure it's changed at all since I gigged there with Alicide and The Vanity Press. The gear is just in worse shape. But the food.... Mmmmmm....

We didn't have a lot of time for visiting before the gig, although we did make it to the Distillery District with Shawna. Man, it is beautiful there around Christmas time. Lights, trees, music. Vendors who sell seasonal things. I was impressed at how non-kitschy it was, while still being decorated to the nines.

We also got to visit with High School Boyfriend, who happens to live in my favourite alley (in an apartment, not the alley itself) near my favourite music store. We all drank tea and had a fun time catching up. There's something charming about hanging out with people you've known for ages and ages. It's a good thing.

There wasn't a lot of time for shopping, but we did find something totally random and exciting: mini squeeze bottles for soy sauce. You put them in your lunch. I've been looking for them for years. What? Is nobody else impressed by my find?

I spent much of yesterday sleeping, but the time I spent awake was put to good use. My poor little studio / closet has been languishing under a pile of boxes for months. It was the last part of the house to get a floor, and still needed a shelf to be completed in my eyes. I decided that I would put up the dang shelf.

Easier said than done. Honestly? That closet is lucky it's still in one piece after how frustrated I was yesterday. The shelf pulled out of the wall three times, even with plugs and sturdy brackets. Eventually I got it in, crooked, but functional. And now?

I will record an album. (Or at least, that's the plan)

To Be Continued...

2010-12-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

I Bought An App, Etc.

2010-12-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of an app buyer. I don't even really buy music off iTunes - still strictly a CD type of gal. But I read a few reviews of Hipstamatic, and thought it sounded like fun.

Verdict: It IS fun! I've started actually taking pictures with my iPhone.

This is Morty, relaxing on our rumply bed. He's not much of a morning doggie.... It takes coaxing (read: chicken) to get him up and about.

This is my favourite lamp. You can see the corner of our new couch, which I'm hoping won't fall apart when people sit on it. So far so good.

Sweet little Frida. Doesn't she look cute? I think she's up to something.

I was unsuccessful in getting Morty out of bed. Poor dude has a tough life. All that sleeping is exhausting, right?

In other news, I need to do something about my Facebook account. I get about 20 event invites a day. I'm "friends" with too many people I don't really know. But it's really the invites that get me.

Should I block invites from people who are the worst offenders? Should I cull my friend list and change my name? I know that when I have a gig, I only invite people I think might actually want to come. I don't invite people who live in other cities, and I don't invite people who I know hate live shows. I do this out of common courtesy, and also because that's how I hope to be invited to events... But I think I'll have to change tactics.

Facebook was looking like a real help as far as music promotion goes, but now I'm wondering if people are just overwhelmed by all the information. Myspace is totally antiquated, and I'm waiting until the joyful day I can finally delete my page. So what does that leave? I guess I'll have to plug along with my plans to re-vamp my web site, and go from there.

My BH and I leave for Toronto tomorrow morning. We have plans to spoil Shawna, hang with my ex, buy amazing chocolate, look at some sexy shoes, and have a grand old time. Oh, and play music, of course.

Onwards and upwards!

@#$$*(@)#

2010-11-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

So!

This past week has been stressful, for lack of a better word. My life seems to have morphed into a scattered collection of bills, receipts, post-it notes, To Do lists, grocery lists, Christmas lists..... GAH.

Even writing about it is stressful.

I've also given up on the grant I was applying for. No time to make it good, and damned if it wasn't giving me anxiety attacks. Next time, perhaps.

To compensate, I've been taking pictures of the dogs, planning Christmas meals, and vacuuming the carpet. Repeatedly. I don't know why, but it helps.

I'm sure I can push aside all that badness and focus on a few good things.

My BH is well into his third week of the new job, and he's become a fountain of information. I think that happens when you start in a brand new field.... Your brain gets filled up with interesting (and occasionally mundane) stuff. It's great to see him doing such a good job, although having him as a househusband was pretty rad. Heh.

We've been buying stollen, my favourite Christmas cake with marzipan filling, because it's finally in the stores again. Stollen and clementines. That makes up about 80% of my diet these days. I'm not complaining.

We're going to Toronto this weekend! I've got a gig at the Free Times Cafe, and we're going to eat at our very favourite dosa restaurant in Little India. Try as we may, we can't find a decent dosa in Ottawa. I'm still haunted by the amazing dosas we ate in India.... *drool* In case you aren't familiar with dosa, there's a little bit of eye candy here.

I've ordered most of my Christmas presents. As a rule, I try to have all my shopping done before December hits, but this year will be different. I need to go easy on myself. Having the gifts mostly bought isn't so bad.

What else.... Well, this doesn't fall into "good" or "bad," but I've developed a weird compulsion to put spice on EVERYTHING. It started in the summer with a particularly yummy hot sauce, and now I go through chili peppers like a mad woman. I've started to look at food with disdain if it's not piping hot. What is the deal with my taste buds? They've gone wacky!

Okay puppies, that's all I've got. Hopefully I'll be able to post something before I leave for the T Dot.

First Snow!

2010-11-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

Two bulldogs, fresh snow, and a bit of butt sniffing. What more could you want on a Friday?

Classist Verbs

2010-11-24T19:28:00.000-08:00

Funny night.

I've reorganized the spice drawer, which has left me smelling like paprika and mustard seed.

Frida's in a kissy mood, and she's giving me little licks on my nose.

I'm struggling to get a grant application in even though I really have no time.

Work is busy! Why now??

I've got about half my Christmas gifts under control. The other half? Not so much.

I'm prepping to play a Toronto gig that I'm very damn excited about.

My BH has an erratic work schedule, but dudes, at least he's got work.

On my To Do list, I actually have a bullet that says, "Do not cry over bills."

Part of my roof kinda blew off, but it's all good. Or at least, it will be good once we climb up there and nail the fucker back on. Courage!

I've re-started French lessons at work. You know what I hate? Subjonctif. Why does French have to be so complicated?*

That's it with me. What's new with you?

*My French teacher said that the millions of tenses and complexities that exist within the language originally evolved as a way to differentiate between high class and low class speakers. Yeah? Well I REJECT YOUR CLASSIST VERBS, FRENCH.

Maskmakers

2010-11-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

Since I'm too sleepy to write a cohesive post, here's a picture of Milan taking pictures of a mask. Don't get too attached to the couch... It's on its way out! The replacement was purchased today.

The mask was made by my mom. Did I ever tell you about the maskmakers in my family? A story for another time, perhaps. But it's a good one.

Thanks Milan!

Fixer-Upper

2010-11-19T09:41:00.001-08:00

We've had some bad luck with our furniture since the big move.

For the first while, it was all buried under boxes. I remember the feeling of being unable to walk a straight line to the double bed, and stepping over saws to make breakfast. I'm glad those days are gone.

When we did get unpacked, I noticed that a lot of what we had didn't work that well in the space. Our couch was a broken loveseat, too small to fit a visitor or two, and too rickety to use properly anyway. Our bed had always been too small for us, but it was especially obvious now. I woke up every morning with half my body off the mattress, hands clinging to the sheets. Falling out of bed is particularly dangerous when you're surrounded by drying paint, nails, and splintered wood.

With some of our savings, we decided to replace a few key pieces, namely the couch and the bed. We bought our glorious king-sized bed and mattress, counting down the weeks until it would be delivered to us. The mattress arrived first, so we set it up on the ground and slept like that for a couple of weeks. When the frame arrived, the factory had made a mistake and sent us faulty legs for the thing. Unwilling to wait another three weeks for the replacement, we propped up our fancy new frame with paving bricks.

Yes. You read correctly. Our stylin' bed frame was held up by bricks. Eventually the legs were installed.

Somewhere in there our fridge died, and we swapped our used stove for another used stove in a better colour. Insert swearing about Craigslist crazies here (kinda makes you hate people, you know?).

Then we ordered the couch, which was cute, on sale, and folded out into a bed. Yes! Score for us! Except that it didn't seem very well made, and we were nervous about how wobbly it was. Sure enough, my darling father-in-law sat on it two days ago and the leg broke right off. Would you like to see how the couch looks now?

Uh huh. We're returning it, getting a full refund, and starting our search all over again.

Despite all my complaining, I'm so happy with our house. It recently came to my attention that EVERYONE thought I was nuts when I said I wanted to buy this place. Maybe I'm blessed with the ability to see how to fix a fixer-upper. Maybe I really am nuts. But dudes, furniture mishaps aside, I'm glad we went though the madness and get to enjoy the results.

Smooth

2010-11-17T14:31:00.001-08:00

Last night I spent three hours cleaning my closet. I'm talking ironing, re-folding everything, re-organizing, ditching, and putting away summer things.

In the process, I learned something about myself.

I am hard on my clothes.

There were holes, oil stains, dirt stains, pulls, you name it. Even my nicest stuff was hiding damage of some kind. I took it as a sign that I'm not meant to work in a fancy office forever, but it may also be a sign that I'm a slob. Long live jeans and a tee.

Anyway, now I have a beautifully organized closet, and I can move on to inflict the same treatment on my mini studio. It needs some attention.

I'm trying really hard to be organized about the next six weeks - don't you find that they go by SO QUICKLY?? We'll see if I manage it. Luckily, the craziness will be interrupted by a trip to Toronto! I'll be playing a gig with my beloved Shawna. It's going to be something else.

I have no smooth way to end this post.... So....

Bye!

Post-Haste

2010-11-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

My BH started his new job today. I'm still waiting to hear how it went, but dudes, we are officially a two-income household!! Woot! May the debt repayment begin post-haste.

In other news, I cut all my hair off. Probably about six inches gone. I feel so light! Although the longer hair was fun, it's also a lot more work. Let's face it - if I can avoid my brush and my hair dryer every morning, I'll do it. I'd much rather spend my precious morning hour snuggling the dogs.

So... Having a car is quite something. It's only been ours for couple of weeks, but man, it sure is great to be able to make plans without relying on shitty OC Transpo. I used to love taking the bus, but they earned my wrath with the Strike To End All Strikes. Hey, at least that PR fail got me walking to work.

Besides the new job and the car, I've been filling my time with:

- Counting down the minutes until Harry Potter comes to the big screen again.

- Enjoying our new (but very much on sale) couch, which fits two adults and two dogs with lots of room. Luxurious.

- Planning what sorts of tasty lunch foods I can make for my BH. It may sound weird, but I love packing him a lunch. Truth.

- Watching every episode of Vag Magazine, because it's so damn witty.

- Picking out some courses I can take this summer. Hint: they have nothing to do with any of my current jobs, but might involve power tools.

I'm also working on the next album, although mostly in the planning phase.... I'd like to find out which CD manufacturers are the best so that I can price them all out. I've been using the same company for years, and although they have been fine, I want to know what my options are.

But enough about me. How are y'all doing?

Onwards and Upwards

2010-11-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

I'm setting some goals for myself, because I love me some goals. I also thrive on having something to work towards, especially if its written down. Seems to be the way I'm wired.

The main thing I'm trying to improve on is my health. Working a job that requires you to sit on your ass all day takes its toll. It's funny, but when I was working in retail, I was in much better shape. Broke and stressed, yes. But being on my feet kept me moving. I was always standing, walking, or running for the bus. It made me unintentionally active.

I can't really pretend that my increasingly squishy "muscles" are hiding because they are shy. I am terribly out of shape, exercise rarely, and eating more takeout than I should for someone with good cooking skills. Mad skills, even.

So here's what's happening: I bought a membership to a city gym, with pool access included. I went for the first time a couple of days ago with my BH, and had the greatest time. No, I'm not being sarcastic.... For once. I had a wicked time. Listening to loud music while sweating away on the elliptical is crazy fun. I have yet to use the pool, but since I enjoy swimming laps, I plan to give it a try sometime soon.

I've also bought.... Get this.... An exercise DVD. This is probably the last thing I would have expected myself to do, but the fact is that I'm a homebody. There will be days when I don't want to go to the gym, and it would be smart to give myself a realistic option for staying in.

As for whether or not I'm going to see results? The holidays are coming and the love of my life makes fudge cake when he's bored. So no, I don't think I'm going to firm up over the next two months. But I do hope that I can build some muscle and get my heart working a bit. Even if I'm licking icing off a beater in the process.

A funny story about the gym, if you'll indulge me:

I got a free orientation with a personal trainer as part of my membership. The trainer was great. Maybe even hilarious. Anyway, she was showing me around the equipment and we arrived at a big machine with a slidey bar and a bunch of scary-looking accessories.

"This is our big slidey machine with accessories!" she said, enthusiastically.

"It looks like an S&M dungeon," I said, right when there was a lull in sound at the gym. Several heads turned.

"Ummm." said the trainer. "People don't usually say that out loud."

And that's my foot-in-mouth story for you today. Onwards and upwards!

Fruitcake

2010-11-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm officially excited for Christmas. I'm already listening to my favourite Christmas music, planning what cookies to bake, and buying gifts. Do you think that's weird? Given that I'm mostly Jewish?

Anyway.

My choir is also going to be doing carolling (at my insistence, hehe) and that's got me excited too.

My BH, an avid fruitcake fan, is already steeping candied fruit in booze. I don't like fruitcake, but I've learned to stop questioning his devotion. Once, at a wedding, I saw him go from table to table scooping up people's discarded fruitcake favours. He looked like a kid in a candy store, except that the candy was strong-tasting cake that could break your teeth.

Gotta love that that guy.

My studio is all tiled, so now we have to hang a couple of shelves and we're done. I can't wait to start recording - oh man oh man.

You know what else? Thanks to our awesome vet, Frida has a functioning ear canal and is... Get this..... RARELY ITCHY. Can you believe it? When we got her, if she wasn't sleeping, she was scratching until she bled. We are overjoyed that she's feeling better.

Her happiness has also translated into her being more playful with Morty, which for Frida means that she lovingly bats him in the face. Repeatedly. Until he plays with her. Bulldogs!

More soon...

Fitting Memorial, and Hey, I'm Mobile

2010-11-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

We found a car. As of last night, it's ours. It's a small, used Acura with a million kilometres and old heated seats.

This is my first car - everything else I've driven belonged either to my folks or my BH. Now my BH and I have a car of our own, and honestly? I am still having trouble believing it.

I've gone without a car for a long time. I use Vrtucar and rental services when I'm really in need, but lately that's been happening more and more. Getting myself to concerts with two instruments, a gig bag, my CDs and guitar stand is hellish, and I'm usually rushing in and out of cabs to get there on time. I've lost more capos in the process than I care to admit.

Now with my BH's new job, we didn't have a choice. The bus routes don't run when his shifts start, and it's too far to bike. Not a whole lot of options there.

I've already caught myself making alternate car arrangements in my head when I'm planning out the week. If I need heavy groceries, I make a note to book a Vrtucar on a certain day. Now I can head there direct from my driveway! Amazing. Does anybody else think this is amazing? Maybe it's just me.

This past weekend was mostly filled up with car buying, but I also got some very sad news. Another high school friend of mine died. He had cancer - skin cancer, actually - which spread to his liver.

I went to the wake, but couldn't make it to the funeral. The open casket never ceases to freak me out, and the mood was sombre.

They were playing a slideshow of pictures on the far side of the room, so I wandered over there. The pictures showed my friend smiling and happy, traveling with his friends and his wife.

Then the last picture in the slideshow popped onto the screen. It was my friend, ever the clown and comedian, dressed up as a giant vagina.

Everyone watching erupted into laughter, and really, that's exactly what CJ would have wanted.

Wherein I Attempt to Fundraise

2010-10-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Dearest readers...

I've been a bad blogger lately, and I apologize. Real life has been a little nutso, and it's been tricky to sneak in blogging time. Let me tell you a bit about what I've been up to.

I've been tiling the studio closet! It's nearly done, and very soon I'll be recording in there. Just me. Because nobody else will fit.

I've been gazing at this sweet doggie. Look at that face. And those ears!

My BH and I have been cooking dinners for people. Now that the house is somewhat presentable, we're actually trying to entertain. Look at that gorgeous cake. My BH is quite something in the kitchen.

Morty has been napping. His giant tongue is always fighting his lips for freedom.

I've been gigging, albeit reservedly. It's fun to play gigs a little less frequently than I used to. It makes the shows a bit more special. It also makes me less of a zombie.

We've also been shopping for a car, because my BH's new job is too far for biking and too random for the bus. We don't have money for a car, so.... Our search is going to be interesting. To say the least. Maybe he can travel via jetpack!

Also, in much bigger and scarier news, I launched a fundraising site for my next album. You guys all know the nitty gritty about my state of brokeness, but I still get asked constantly when I'm going to record again by folks around town.

Here's the thing: while I can probably manage the costs of recording myself (largely by doing the bulk of it on my computer), I can't afford the design, manufacturing, mastering, mixing etc. That is where shit gets expensive. I'm trying this out as a total experiment, but it's going to be interesting to see if people are willing to contribute some money to help me record a bit faster.

Now it's not just a flat donation; you get something for the money. I'll send you to the actual site (with my real name and everything... shhhhh) so you can take a gander. If you're interested, or you want to show your support, consider making a donation. Or even pass it around to some friends if you think they might want to lend a hand.

I'm hoping to start recording within the next couple of weeks, with the goal of having the songs done by the end of winter. Who knows if that will happen, but I do try to keep to my goals.

Anyway.... Thanks for being patient with me, and I promise to write a little more consistently from now on!

Job Job Job

2010-10-24T15:53:00.001-07:00

Sorry team... I sorta dropped off there, hey?

But there's good news. Lots of great things have happened since we last spoke.

My BH got a job. A real, using-his-fancy-degree job. Do you know what this means?? It means the income we've been sharing for the past many years will be less strained.

Exciting.

I also played at Raw Sugar to a sold out crowd with my dear friend Shawna. There were new songs, good connections and happy people.

What else?

Oh, I forget the rest. I'm at home drinking wine and roasting pumpkin. All I want to focus on is dinner and that lovely bottle of booze on the counter.

Hope you are all well! More sober blogging to come!

Perfect Weekend

2010-10-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

So many good things have happened this weekend. It makes Morty's enthusiastic and repetitive puking a little more bearable.

1. I had dinner with my old roommates. Holy shit, I love them all. There have been marriages, homes bought and babies made since our time together, but we are all very much the same. It was a delightful evening. I also got to blow bubbles on the tummy of a chubby newborn. AMAZING. He smelled like milk.

2. The Vinyl Cafe replayed the broadcast from when I was their musical guest. I didn't know it was happening this weekend, so it was a wonderful surprise. I was tipped off by sudden CD sales off my site. Even better.

3. I wrote a new song. It was hard to write - unusually hard. It's about the death of my friend this past spring. His death was still haunting me a bit, and the song pretty much charged out of me. I can't decide if I should play it live or not, because it makes me cry. That could get awkward on stage, but it could also be a nice song to play if I can keep it together.

4. I got to catch up with Shawna, one of my very favourite people, and also the gal I'm sharing the stage with this coming Friday at Raw Sugar. She was very calm and collected while Morty wretched up a day's worth of meals onto her feet. Thank you, Shawna.

5. My old guitar teacher and I had lunch. He wanted to pick my brain about recording, which was just weird, because, y'know... He's my teacher. Don't teachers know everything? But seriously, he's lovely and I think I want to start lessons again.

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting, but I've got a kitchen to clean and a puppy to console. What a perfect fall weekend.

Epic Pie

2010-10-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, my BH made this. No biggie.

Just kidding. It's a biggie. This pie is EPIC. Look at it! Is there anything hotter than a guy who makes mind-blowing pastry in his spare time? No.

In related news, I'm pretty sure I gained more weight over the weekend. Thanksgiving was GOOD. Especially the meal we had with my BH's folks. Spicy curry and sky high apple pie, yes indeed. Who needs a turkey when you've got Indian in-laws?

It's really quite chilly outside. I've programmed our thermostat, and not a minute too soon. It's supposed to go down to -1 tonight. The dogs are super snuggly with each other. Body heat will do that... Not to mention bulldog love.

The next two weeks are being filled with gig prep. It's nice to have a fun show to work up to... Although I'm stuck about adding new songs to my set. I can't decide on a cover, and I can't decide on a new song. I'd better get picking.

My BH and I finally saw the new Alice in Wonderland movie last night. Well, I watched it while my BH and both dogs snored through it. Anyway, I thought it was a kick ass film. Helena Bonham Carter could not have been better suited to her role as the Red Queen. I think I'll watch it again tomorrow.

Hope you all had a filling weekend!

Thankful

2010-10-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Aaah, Thanksgiving weekend.

I'm not sure the weather could be any nicer, to be honest. We started the day by attending the neighbourhood farmer's market, and got the good news that it's been approved to be a weekly event as of next spring.

I already think my neighbourhood is awesome, but it was a real vote of confidence to hear that I'll have access to fresh, local food within a five minute walk of my house.

Then we walked downtown to buy my BH some new clothes. We snaked around the canal, took the footbridge, and soaked in the colours. I made the mistake of walking into American Apparel once we hit the Rideau Centre. I used to love their plain cotton clothes, but it just looks like hell in there now. I get twitchy just thinking about it. Spandex lace... thong leotards... NASTY. May bankruptcy come swiftly, and may something better replace them.

Then it was off for a walk with the dogs, and we met up with a mastiff puppy along the way. Are you familiar with mastiffs? This puppy was already double Morty's size, and she's going to quadruple that pretty fast. They had a great time wrestling each other while Frida hung out between my ankles.

Now we're cleaning the house and feeling pretty accomplished about the day.

Last night's gig was... Interesting. The highlight was when I met a guy who had driven up from Montreal to see my set. Really, he just watched my set, bought a CD, and drove back home to Montreal. I was speechless! As for the night in general, I'm not sure my songs were a great match with the other people on the bill. Our crowds were pretty different too. Not a loss, but not a comfortable fit either. I guess it reinforced my new method of being picky about gigs - I don't want to come off as a snot, but I also want the best show possible instead of a flop.

All this to say that the Raw Sugar gig at the end of the month is going to be super fun. :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Fat Cat

2010-10-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days. One of those GOOD days. I woke up and the sun was shining. No small bulldogs (I'm looking at you, Frida) woke me up at 4am to have explosive poo in the yard. Breakfast was yummy. I got part of my energy rebate in the mail. Did I mention the weather?

Also, last night fulfilled my longstanding craving for good Ethiopian food, as my BH and I went to a birthday dinner at Horn of Africa. Damn, I could eat there every night.

AND THEN? I got a phone call that my bed frame is ready, and will be delivered next week. No more sleeping on the floor, albeit on a giant fucking mattress.

PLUS?? Frida's reacting so well to her steroids that her itching and swelling has decreased by about 90%. That's pretty astounding.

AND???? Apparently CBC Radio played one of my songs this morning. I love you, CBC.

THEN???? My stove finally sold on Craigslist. Thank fuck.

So all in all, today is going pretty well. I'll enjoy it while I can to store up energy for those bad days.

For those of you who like stories where I embarrass myself, or for those of you who wonder why I say I have a potty mouth, I bring you: A conversation from last night.

Friend 1 is wearing a shirt featuring a fat cat wearing a dunce cap.

Friend 2: Is that a dumb cat?

Friend 1: Or a cat that misbehaved?

Friend 3: Or a cat who bugged the teacher?

Me, after deciding that the dunce cap looked more like a party hat: I THINK IT'S A PUSSY WHO LIKES TO PARTY!

*crickets*

Keep in mind that I had never met some of the people at the table. When somebody finally responded, they cleared their throat, and said, "Well, at least that's legal now."

Hope you are all having a lovely autumn day too.

Advance Planning

2010-10-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

A few things:

I'm selling some household items for the first time on Craigslist and Kijiji. It's been... Interesting. Somebody who wanted to buy my used stove called himself "Grandmaster Sexy." I'm cutting my losses and not responding. Not looking to bag myself an internet psycho, thanks.

Frida's itching didn't improve so we took her to a new vet. The new vet was horrified that her old vet didn't do more, and sooner. Now I'm angry. Poor little Frida.

I've pulled something funny in my neck, and it's affecting my shoulders, back, right leg and ankle. WTF? I'm all hurty!

Lastly.... I've started Christmas shopping. Don't freak out, I know I'm crazy, but DUDES. It's just so much easier to get it done early. I'm telling ya.

Have a great weekend! We're doing a million things. Approximately.

Funny Place

2010-09-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm in a funny place right now. I think the changing season is responsible. I spend most of my time in la la land, dreaming about autumn, walking through autumn, cooking with fall foods.... Seriously dreamy. Just don't ask me to do any heavy thinking.

Over the past month, our house has really become our home. We went from ordering take-out every night to making elaborate curries, canning, baking cinnamon buns and cobbler. Our new mattress came and we've been sleeping so much better; sure beats the groggy nights we spent surrounded by sawdust. Since we bought the television, we've been able to sit back and watch our favourite movies with the dogs on our laps. Our lawn sorta kinda came in. Actually, let's not talk about that.

We're already planning nights to bake pumpkin pies. I'm pulling my sweaters out of storage. My scarves have gotten some use. The entryway is muddy and full of leaves. We bought a rake. The neighbourhood smells like a wood stove.

This really is the best time of year.

Since my uncle passed away, two strange things have happened. I called my grandmother and her machine picked up. A familiar voice told me to leave a message. I forgot my uncle had recorded himself on the answering machine.... Now every time I call my grandmother, part of me wants her to pick up right away, and part of me wants to hear the message again.

Then, I was cleaning out my e-mail, and I found a message from my uncle that he sent me in August. He wished me all the best with the house, and told me to keep in touch. It's been hard to process his death because it happened so suddenly, but I really miss him. It's just strange to think that I'll never see him again. I guess that's the thing about death. It's... Strange.

In happier news, I've booked two shows for October. I was going to book more, but I think I've lost the urge to gig constantly. Now I just want to play shows that fit what I need, instead of taking everything that comes down the pipe. Maybe I'll lose some good opportunities this way, but it makes me feel calmer.

Here are the gigs.... I'd love to see some of you out there! It will be a meet and greet of sorts, or if we've already met, it will be a good time to listen to music and drink beverages of your choice. Bring your friends too!

Friday, Oct 22, 2010
Raw Sugar Cafe, Ottawa
With THE AMAZING Shawna Caspi
$6, 8:30pm

Friday, Oct 8, 2010
Cafe Dekcuf, Ottawa
With Great Bloomers and Kalle Mattson
$10 advance, 9pm
Tickets available at Vertigo Records or www.ticketweb.ca

New Baby

2010-09-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Baby guitar, that is....

It looks almost like a classical version of my steel string guitar, actually. At least I know what I like!

You can check out the company here:

La Patrie Guitars

I traded in my old Washburn when I bought the new guitar, and then I got even more money off because they couldn't find the case for it. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

__________________________________

After a bit of a non-starter with our canning weekend, my BH and I finally got our shit together and successfully canned green beans and tomatillo salsa. Once you get the hang of it, the actual process isn't difficult.... Just time consuming.

Also, I'm super paranoid about food poisoning after getting hit with a bad case many years ago, so I really hope I got this right. Canning food incorrectly would be a lame way to die.

On that cheerful note, enjoy the rest of your Monday!

Littlest, Itchiest Bulldog

2010-09-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, Frida, the littlest bulldog, has a lot of allergies. When we adopted her in April, she came with a bag of hypo-allergenic food and the warning that "she itches a lot."

C'est tout.

It seems to me that if your dog is on hypo-allergenic food and she's still red and itchy, maybe the food isn't doing the trick. But what do I know?

We changed her food several times, theorized about what she was reacting to, and gave her nightly anti-histamines. Some improvement, but not enough. A few weeks ago, we took her to the vet and got an allergy test done. Her blood samples had to be sent away for testing, and we got the full results in the mail today. Wanna hear?

Frida is allergic to the following:

pork
beef
fish
dairy
carrots
yeast
oats
dust
a variety of trees (including maple!)
grass
several weeds
feathers
CATS

... Seriously.

My BH and I are going to spend the evening looking into different types of dog food until we find something that works for her. Then we're going to switch our down duvet for something less.... Allergic. And THANK GOODNESS we decided to stick it out with EcoLawn instead of grass seed. It would have been sad to have a nice yard that only one dog could enjoy.

It's funny, but before we got Frida, I could not have imagined living with a dog who was so sensitive. Now that she's ours, I wouldn't have it any other way.

___________________________________

In other news, tonight I'll be trading in my old classical Washburn guitar for a newer classical cutaway with a pickup. I'm so excited I could pee. I'll post pictures when the deal is done.... It's on hold for me right now!

For you guitar folks out there, lately I've been craving the warm sound of nylon strings over the familiar twang of my steel string Cort. After the disaster that was my Steve's Music experience, I headed down to Spaceman Music and found a sweet little guitar with my name on it. I also put in an order for Pro Tools, which should arrive in a couple of weeks. Suck on that, Steve's.

Breaky

2010-09-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the pause in posts.... I just found out that my uncle passed away unexpectedly. He left behind seven kids, and it looks like things will be nutty for a while.

In the meantime, please enjoy this music video, which cheers me up significantly despite the glaring lack of bulldogs.

Sleeping Like a King

2010-09-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

My BH and I slept well last night for the first time in a long time. By "slept well" I mean that I didn't wake up throughout the night, I wasn't pushed out of bed, I didn't have a bulldog sitting on my head, and I wasn't fighting for blankets. When my alarm went off in the morning, I actually woke up.

This isn't a coincidence. This happened because we finally set aside the money to buy a king-sized mattress.

We've been sharing a double bed with broken springs for many years. Before we had the dogs, we found it to be too small. When Morty came along, it became super tiny. When Frida joined us, I stopped sleeping through the night.

Until last night, I don't think I've slept through the night since April.

A king-sized mattress seems insanely large, to be honest. But as indulgent as it is, it's really the most practical size for us. While I don't move around much at night, my BH is a bit of a flailer, and the dogs don't care much for personal space. Morty in particular feels most comfortable squishing his bum against my cheek. You have no idea what sort of nightmares that causes, most of which are about gas attacks.

We've tried a queen when we stayed at a friend's house, but I was still pushed out of bed when Morty decided to stretch his legs.

King mattress it was. I say "mattress" because the frame is on back order, but dang, I'm happy to sleep without a frame when the mattress is this comfortable.

We bought the Sultan Hamnvik from Ikea. I'm not sure we could have afforded it without Ikea's prices, and honestly, the quality is excellent. If I had realized their mattresses were so inexpensive, I don't think I would have waited this long.

It will be interesting to see if anything changes now that I'm getting proper sleep. Maybe my eyes will be less puffy? One can only hope.

I also want to welcome the new commenters (and thank the old ones too!). It's always a pleasure to have a dialogue with people who read the blog. Sometimes I forget that I'm not just ranting to myself.

Failed Hipster

2010-09-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a movie that spoke to them as a teenager, right? The movie becomes the soundtrack of their youth, their generational touchstone. Reality Bites was like that for me. I watched a few clips from it the other day, and it got me thinking about 90s style.

I was a teenager in the 90s. Not a trendy teenager necessarily, but I felt really comfortable with how I dressed. I also attended an arts high school, so that may have helped - you could feel comfortable wearing just about anything there. Or nothing. Given the day.

Some of my favourite outfits still stick out in my mind. I had a pair of army pants that were so badly worn, they were 90% covered in colourful patches. My jeans were in a similar state of disrepair. I wore comfortable t-shirts, plaid shirts, cardigans, and combat boots. This was my uniform, and I loved it. I also wore dresses over pants like it was going out of business.... And I still like the look, honestly.

That's where I came from, stylistically. We're not talking high fashion here... We're just talking comfort. Grungy, riot grrrl, hippie comfort.

Now it's 2010 and I feel completely at a loss with what is in style. Hipster fashion, and I'm talking about the mainstream stuff, doesn't really gel with me. It's taken me a while to put my finger on it, but I think I've figured out why I'm having a hard time fitting in with this look: I find a lot of it genuinely unattractive.

Wearing ironic ugly things from the 80s doesn't sound fun to me. That stuff didn't flatter me back in the day, and it doesn't flatter me now.

Wearing straight legged jeans is cute, but wearing "skinny" jeans that are too tight to walk in comfortably? A little weird.

Lace and unitards: two things that will never look good together.

Short shorts that introduce me to your labia? Probably too short.

I could go on and on, but that would make me sound crochety. The thing is, plenty of people pull it off while still looking cute. Those people are not me.

I'm not even sure why it was bothering me that I didn't like this particular trend. Maybe I was worried that it would make me sound old if I said it out loud, which is silly, because I'm not old. I just like to be comfortable.

Watching Reality Bites again was a strange experience.... Because I identified so much with those characters, and damnit, their clothes made sense to me.

So now it's out in the open: I am still that grungy, riot grrrl loving hippie that I always was. I'm slightly less disheveled, and I have an extra wardrobe for the office, but I'm still me. When labia shorts go out of style, when unitards are shoved back into the shadowy recesses of people's closets, I'll still be here. And I'll be wearing comfortable jeans.

The Steve's Incident

2010-09-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to look into buying some audio gear, as well as a new guitar (I'll be trading on one of my others to afford it). While there are a few great music stores in town, not many of them have large geeky audio gear sections. I decided on Steve's Music, because it's huge and was likely to have everything I needed. It's also more central than Long and McQuade.

Now, I don't go to Steve's very often. It's a notorious wiener fest, and I've never seen a woman employed there, let alone shopping there (although I'm sure they get the occasional gal customer). That kind of an atmosphere drives me mental, but I was trying not to write it off completely just because they are an old/young boys club.

The guitar section had some promising stuff, and I headed on up to the audio floor to ask some questions about a recording program I wanted to buy.

As a backgrounder, I taught radio editing in university as a TA, and I'm pretty familiar with the basics of sounds recording in general. I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm not completely useless either.

I approached the counter and asked a couple of simple questions to the dude working there. When his answers didn't match the answers I've gotten from my sound technician friends, I made broke the cardinal rule of being delicate with the ego of an angry male. I said, "Really? Are you sure?"

Word to the wise: questioning the expertise of aged audio guys is never going to be pretty, but especially so if the guy in question has an audio god complex.

The dude, clearly offended, took the opportunity to school me, loudly and rudely. He responded with the unsurprising, "Listen, I've been doing this for 30 years, I know what I'm doing and you don't" speech. The way he turned his words, the pointed digs he made, and the general tone of his response rubbed me in entirely the wrong way.

Maybe he treats all his customers like shit, but I got the impression that my gender made his attack a lot meaner. Who knows.

I'm usually pretty good at staying calm in the face of asinine behaviour, but for some reason, I was unprepared. I got angry, left the store fuming, walked halfway down the block, and decided not to let him off the hook. I marched back into the store and filed a complaint with a very polite guy who seemed to be in charge. He asked me if it would help if he got someone else to answer my questions, and although I said no, I appreciated the offer. I ended the conversation by stating how much I had been willing to spend in the store, which will now go to another deserving shop.

It's possible the angry audio guy was just having a bad day, and if so, I'm sorry for making his day worse. But the thing is, most women I know in the business avoid Steve's because they don't feel comfortable there. If your store is trying to rid itself of a bad reputation, it would help not to have raging egos loose behind the sales desk. Be polite, be helpful, and don't be demeaning. It's not complicated.

Just sayin'.

(Disclaimer, the guy who took my complaint was seriously lovely. Also, I did purchase a banjo case at Steve's once without incident. The service was even friendly! So all is not lost... Just bruised.)

Next post: I come to terms with the fact that I will never like mainstream hipster fashion and embrace the comfort of the 90s.

Canning and Babies

2010-09-08T13:26:00.001-07:00

It's fall!!!! I am so relieved this summer is behind me. It's been a big one: we bought and renovated a house, my BH graduated, we got a second dog.... But MAN am I glad to move forward.

Mostly I'm just glad I don't have lay any more wood floors. Never again.

This weekend we're going to try canning for the first time. I don't know what to start with, and I only have a book to guide me, but I'm really excited. Maybe apple sauce is nice and easy? Does anyone out there have advice for a first time canner?

We've also managed to save enough money to buy ourselves a television. You know, after we gave our other one away so we didn't have to move it. In hindsight, we might have been a little hasty with our desire to de-clutter.... But now we get a fancy new TV! I'm going to celebrate by setting it up and watching some Harry Potter.

It's funny, but I never really grew up with much TV. We didn't have cable, and the reception sucked, so we opted for other activities.... And yet, I am stupidly excited for something fancy and big. And flat! With great resolution! Okay, I'll stop. For now. BUT I'M EXCITED.

This month seems to be the Month of Babies. We know so many pregnant people, and everyone is due soon. Guess I'll have to start stalking Etsy for adorable onesies again.

What are you doing to celebrate fall? Are you happy, or sad that summer is (nearly) over?

Hands Like Dogs

2010-09-05T19:30:00.001-07:00

I wrote a new song tonight. I'm not going to place any expectations on it, but I like it.

Songwriting has always been my default medium of personal expression. My songs may not always be literal interpretations of what's going on in my life, but the emotions that come out of the songs are genuine. They show what I was feeling at the time of writing, and what I am re-feeling by performing the piece. Does that make sense?

Anyway. I don't always realize what's going on inside my brain or my heart. I'm busy paying bills, working, doing laundry... But sometimes I write a song and it makes me stop, because I had no idea I was feeling something so strongly. This new song is like that.

In related news, I want to buy a new guitar. I've been using my trusty Cort since I was a teenager, and while I love it to pieces, it holds no more songs for me right now. My hands want something different to sink some chords into.

As Tom Waits once said, "Your hands are like dogs, going to the same places they've been. You have to be careful when playing is no longer in the mind but in the fingers, going to happy places. You have to break them of their habits or you don't explore; you only play what is confident and pleasing."

I'm going to try that. Besides, if my hands are anything like my dogs, my guitar must be completely covered in drool by now.

Biggie and Smalls Say Hi

2010-09-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Disjointed Rambling

2010-09-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sigh.

There are stressful things happening at the moment that are making it difficult to blog. Maybe I'll talk more when everything blows over and the leaves start to turn.

Speaking of which, it's September. I am so relieved. I love summer, but fall suits me better. Layers, harvest food, good smells.... Harvest food. Mostly that.

Frida's allergies have been out of control, and she's at the vet right now for an allergy test. The test involves taking blood and checking it for antibodies. If you've been reacting to something, it will show up there. I had this test done myself and it's a good one. It also shows when an allergy is serious or mild. Hopefully it can help the littlest bulldog. She's so itchy all the time.

This weekend my BH and I are going to tackle our first tiling job! We're going to do the floor of the closet studio, which is a great place to practice since nobody will see it. That space is coming together slowly. I've finally installed a couple of instrument hooks, but I still need a shelf. Eventually it will be done.

My mom is turning 60 this weekend and there's a family reunion to celebrate. Sadly we can't find anyone to look after the dogs, so my BH may have to stay home. We have a couple other people to ask before we give up.

To completely change the subject... I didn't meet a lot of people I liked in university. Actually, it's not that I didn't like them, but we had so little in common I spent most of my time waiting for class to end. Through the magic of Facebook, I'm still in contact with a few of the cooler folks, and things are much more fun now that we're not all in the same competitive program. Case in point, one such person had photos of her artwork up, and I commented that I loved one piece in particular.

Look what came in the mail:

I think it's lovely.

That's the end of my disjointed rambling for today... Back to stress central.

Play Time

2010-08-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is what Frida does when she wants to play with Morty.

He hasn't quite figured that out yet.

Thanks to Milan for the shot (although I suspect I might have taken this one). Thanks to Milan for letting me hold his camera long enough to take pictures of my dogs.

In other news...

Our EcoLawn is growing! We planted it in mushroom compost this time around and it seems to be working.

I'll update the house blog with pictures soon.

Tah for now...

Certain Sort

2010-08-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

I'm still recovering from the weekend. The Venus Envy gang held our annual Certain Sort Pride party, and lord it was fun. I learned a few things:

- Although four beers normally doesn't get me drunk, four beers on an empty stomach gets me quite drunk indeed.

- Pride is a good excuse to wear dresses that are otherwise too small.

- Apparently I have a temper when people talk to me as though I have no brain.

- Eating pho at 3am is an excellent idea.

- I ended up with a lot of boob shots on my camera. Maybe this new boobage isn't so bad after all!

In other news, Frida has decided that pooping outdoors is overrated and that pooping in the dining room is way more awesome. It's... not fun.

Not related to poop: One of my songs is going to appear in a Canadian-made short film! I signed contracts and everything! Very exciting.

New Mission

2010-08-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

My body has been feeling out of sorts lately.

It feels out of shape, mostly, as well as uncomfortable and tired. All the time.

After making several plans of attack to deal with this feeling (eating smaller portions, eating better, being social, exercising more [FAIL], throwing myself into cleaning, sleeping through the night, reorganizing my closet, magically shrinking my boobs, etc), I have decided that all my planning sucks. It doesn't work, I get annoyed, and then I feel worse. FUCK PLANNING.

No, seriously.

So then I made a new plan, because I don't know how to deal with problems any other way. I make a list, I formulate a plan, I act on said plan. Even if that formula has not been working out so well lately.

My latest plan is this:

1. Master stupid iTunes even though I hate stupid iTunes, fill up my MP3 player with good music. This is key to getting anything done in my life - the soundtrack. But Jesus, iTunes pisses me off.
2. Buy myself and my BH a full city gym pass, pool and all.
3. Be creative about this, because I don't actually have money to buy the passes.
4. Make a schedule and follow it as best we can. Be exercise buddies. Try not to make too many excuses.
5. Eventually feel less like a turd.

I don't know if this plan will fail like the other plans. It's certainly possible. But I need to do SOMETHING or my head is going to explode.

In happy music news, I've ended my gigging hiatus and I've started booking fall shows. And it looks like a gig at my favourite cafe (Raw Sugar) with one of my favourite people (Shawna Caspi) is going to be a real possibility. Yay!

Peach Pie

2010-08-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy one, culminating with a baby shower for a friend of mine. Since I have an allergic reaction to traditional baby showers, when my friend asked me to host, I decided to go for something a little less conventional (thanks for the idea, Offbeat Mama). A few snacks, some great art supplies, and plain onesies to decorate. I think it was a success.... She left with a gigantic personalized wardrobe for her kid, and I didn't need to play baby name games. Victory!

The downside to hosting the shower was that I had to fast-track the unpacking process. That was also the upside, I guess. Although I'm exhausted, my dining / living room looks totally awesome. Just don't peek in the bedroom, because that's where I stashed the boxes! Shhhhh....

My BH is back from the woods, where he was staying for three whole weeks. It felt like FOREVER. I'm glad he's home and baking up a storm. Come visit us if you want peach pie, and no, that's not a euphemism. His return was a sharp reminder that we need a bigger bed, however.... A double mattress does not fit two adults and two bulldogs.

This week we're re-planting the EcoLawn, which died an awful death during the heat wave. We bought a bunch of mushroom compost, and those seeds are going to be cradled in its earthy embrace. Here's hoping we have a lawn before the snow falls. If not, I'm going to pave the backyard. Just kidding. But really, I hope those seeds grow.

I've started using my closet studio, and although it still needs a floor and some shelves, it's pretty much the greatest thing. When I want to play guitar, I close the door, and voila! No howling dogs, no distractions. It's beautiful.

You know what's coming up? PRIDE! There's going to be some wild queer partying and some fun parade action. My BH and I bought rainbow bandannas to dress up the bulldogs. It's going to be a gay old time. Are you guys going to any Pride events?

Over and out!

Progress

2010-08-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

After getting a whopping two hours of sleep last night, I called in sick to work and proceeded to go into Nutso Unpack Mode on my house.

The lack of sleep was caused by the allergies of both my BH and Frida, who alternated shifts of extreme itchiness and unhappy groaning, which I was unable to snooze through. I had planned to sleep the day away, honestly, but my house called me with a voice I couldn't refuse.

Sometimes I feel ridiculous for not being done the housework, but then I remember a few key things:

We only really moved in on July 1, so it's been a month and a half of unpacking / reno time. During this month and a half, I've worked full time hours and my BH has been away for three weeks.

So. Not surprising that we're not living in a gleaming paradise, but I'd still like to finish up.

I think I've done five loads of laundry, one of which was particularly victorious, because it unearthed my favourite bra (it's been missing for weeks and I was getting a little put off by its absence). I've washed the floors, unpacked 90% of the bedroom, organized some recycling and garbage, given Morty a bath (holy hell he was stinky), gotten my closet studio working, and eaten a fabulous piece of peach pie (my BH is back and baking, oh yes).

We were supposed to have company tonight, but the plans fell through, which means I can clean some more. Not sleep, do my nails or go out for dinner.... But CLEAN.

In happy news, I'm recording songs on my new computer. The takes are rough, and the songs are old, but I'm thrilled to be here anyway.

The Cat Came Back (Unwisely)

2010-08-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Cat: Meet bulldogs.

Bulldogs: Please don't eat the neighbour's cat.

They kindly obliged, but Frida did get out. That cat can run.

Stella

Night Owl

2010-08-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

In order to lose some weight, aka some boobage, I am eating less and cutting down my sugar intake. I'd like to think it's doing some good, except that I ditched the scale during the move and I have absolutely no clue how much I weigh. Not good planning.

You know what else I threw out during the move? Our TV. It was old and partially chewed up by doggies, but it worked. I reasoned that we were going to buy a newer TV when we were more settled, but I miscalculated one thing.

We went broke.

So now we are without an old TV and also without hope for a new TV. Not good planning, yet again. We've had plenty of offers from friends who have old sets collecting dust in their houses, but I'm starting to notice that we are oddly productive without a television. Go figure. Maybe I should hold out for a bit longer, although I really miss watching Harry Potter.

Tonight promises to be stormy and humid. I'm also quite hungover and moderately grumpy. I think I'll stay home with a very long to-do list, and knock off the chores one by one. My top priorities are painting the recording closet and reorganizing the bedroom closet. I'm also annoyed that our mitre saw is still living on top of the kitchen table, so I'll move that if I can. I wouldn't mind giving the floor a good mop too.

Yes, I know, that's a lot for one evening.... Luckily I'm a night owl!

Hole in the Heart

2010-08-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong that I'm getting excited for fall?

I love summer. LOVE summer. I'm a hot weather gal, through and through.

But I am crazy about fall, and in a fight, fall would pin summer to the ground with one hand behind its back.

****************

I've been a little off this week. My parents had to put down the family cat, and although she was sick and no longer all that happy, I feel her absence like a hole in the heart.

She was always my cat. I picked her out from the Humane Society. I was incredibly fond of her, and spent most of my days with her on my lap or next to me somehow. I haven't lived with my parents for a long time, so I didn't get to see her as much... But it still feels like a kick to the stomach.

Losing pets is so incredibly shitty. They really become a part of your life.

I guess eventually you get used to that hole in the heart.

***************

A definite pick-me-up is the knowledge that my new computer is arriving sometime this week. Because I'll be using it to write and record music, it feels like I'm waiting for the delivery of some powerful creative machine. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen, but I'm looking forward to the process.

***************

I finally updated the house blog. Mosey on over if you want to see one fuck of a bathroom reno.

Cow Knuckles and One Hot Nurse

2010-07-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Things have happened.

My BH passed his nursing registration exam, which means he can now work as a nurse, which means we'll have a second income, which means that I'm partnered with the hottest fucking nurse in the world.

Oh, this is good.

I went ahead and ordered a fancy computer to record with. I had savings set aside and just went for it. Hopefully this means I'll be able to create some new music again. It also means I have to figure out how to use a mac. It comes next week! I guess I'd better paint the closet studio.

On that note... I'm hosting a baby shower in two weeks, so I have very little time to finish the house. Not every little detail, perhaps, but I need to make it presentable for people who are coming to party.

It's not going to be a traditional baby shower in the least. But that shouldn't surprise you.

My friend brought over a big hunk of cow for the dogs to play with the other day. A cow knuckle, I think? Anyway, it's gross, but Morty loves it. Frida would love it if she could get anywhere near it.

I'm telling you this because Morty now wakes up in the morning and sits in front of the shelf holding said knuckle. And he waits there. Until I get up.

Funny dog.

Anne Murray et al.

2010-07-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to throw a mixed bag at you, since I'm not feeling very linear-minded today.

DIET:

I hate the word, and I'm not on one exactly.... But here's the thing. Over the course of the renovations, I have eaten take-out around 70% of the time. Not because I can afford to, and certainly not because I prefer to, but because life has been crazy and I didn't have to patience to plan all my meals. Even when I did, I would find that the groceries had gone bad.

Take-out is heavier than what I eat at home. It's greasier. It requires a lot of exercise to burn off, which I haven't done much of (unless you count banging my head against a freshly-painted wall as exercise). So I've gained some weight, making my jeans too tight and most importantly, making my boobs too big. Honestly. I've always been modestly endowed and happily so. Having tight bras was the breaking point for me. I'm shrinking my portions, eating less sugar and snacking on veggies more. Who knows if it will work, but I'm sure as shit not buying a new bra just because my boobs decided to get gigantic. Fuck that.

ECO LAWN:

My precious eco-lawn was germinating during the heat wave, and that week of +40 insanity murdered my grass. It was completely refused to grow beyond the soft green starters I was getting so excited about.

The debate then became... Do we give up and put down sod? Or do we try again? For a while I was gunning for sod, and let me explain. I have two dogs who play in the backyard. Because there is no ground cover, they come inside all dirty and muddy. Then they jump on the white couch.

Well, the couch is now brown and I'm out of patience. We're going to try once more (compost, seeds and lots of water) and hope we don't get a heat wave. Fingers crossed.

ANNE MURRAY:

Random, right?

There's a commercial on TV for a children's charity, and it uses an Anne Murray song as its theme. It always puzzled me why I know every single word of it. I don't really listen to Anne Murray, but I knew the arrangement, the harmony, the verses....

And then it hit me. When I was in children's choir a million years ago, we sang at the NAC as part of a big musical event (although the purpose escapes me now). We sang that Anne Murray song... With Anne Murray. On stage.

The mystery is solved, but my next question is... Why did I repress that?

PAD THAI:

I'm making it my mission to find the perfect pad thai recipe. I've tried a few over the past year, but they're only been passable. The search begins again. Have I ever told y'all how much I love pad thai?

I do. Lots.

Got any recipes for me? Ones that you've tried and loved?

Hello Cuties

2010-07-20T08:44:00.001-07:00

Found my camera cable. Cute dog photos abound! I know, I already put these on Facebook... But they are new to most of you.

What else...

We get our shed this week. The lack of shed is why we haven't been able to finish unpacking. Too many bulky outside things around. I can't wait until I can move the weight bench / wardrobe / miter saw / storage units OUT OF MY BEDROOM. There's nothing worse than putting on underwear and stepping on a saw. Thank goodness for safety covers. Seriously.

The exhaustion of burning the candle at both ends is getting to me. My throat is sore and I'm really forgetful. An unpleasant combination, to say the least. I need some serious down time.

Also?? Two of my very favourite artists are playing in Montreal in the 31st. My BH can't go because he's already committed to a million things that day. The only friends I've got who like these bands can't go either. As much as it would be weird hanging out alone at a music festival in another city, I'm still considering it. I would feel like such a lame-ass if I missed these shows.

To top off this post full of random musings, I'm trying to plan a baby shower for a friend of mine. So far only one person has RSVPd, so I might just have to feed her cake in the kitchen and call it a day.

I figure, as long as there's cake, it's a success. Am I right or am I right?

Crack

2010-07-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I got my final invoice for the renovations that we hired out, aka, the renos we didn't know how to do ourselves.

While I was expecting the amount to be high, there's something different about *knowing* and *seeing it on a piece of paper.*

I cried for a while, cancelled a dance lesson I had set up, and moped around the bedroom. My BH very sweetly tried to cheer me up, again and again, to no avail.

Eventually he turned to the internet, hoping to find something funny enough to make me crack a smile. I think we had been watching funny videos for over half an hour before he hit the jackpot.

Folks, this is what brought me out of my debt-induced funk.

I laughed and cried and laughed some more, and although I still feel depressed about money, at least I can watch that video on repeat.

Speaking of money, tomorrow morning we get our new fridge. It can't come soon enough... That tiny leak is now a fucking lake and the dogs keep wandering through it. I can't keep up with the mopping.

Next week we get our shed, and I'm clinging to the knowledge of its arrival like a lifeboat. Part of the reason we're not unpacked yet is that I have several large items sitting in my house that should really be in a shed. This includes a large-ass weight bench, a giant wardrobe, a workshop table, three trunks, all my luggage, all our tools and a variety of doors.

I know. It's dumb, but there you have it. I want that shed, and I want it bad.

So, before I realized how expensive this was all going to be, I set aside enough money for a new computer with recording capabilities. You know... The one that is supposed to go in my recording closet to facilitate actual recording? THAT ONE. The responsible gal in me wants to put those savings towards my debt. The musician in me wants me to buy the damn computer, since I'm probably not going to be buying much else for a while.

I have yet to decide what to do.

At least it's Friday, right? I will crack open a beer and hang the laundry on our new line. I'll snuggle the bulldogs and kiss their drooly faces. Then I'll crack open five more beers. Then I'll pass out in a lawnchair.

That should lift a bit of the stress away.

The Fest

2010-07-14T12:09:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to Bluesfest this year.

That festival is tricky. It pulls me in with its killer lineup every summer. I buy my tickets, I go, and most of the time I leave in a panic.

I'm a bit claustrophobic, which is usually why I end up in a panic. But I also hate the lines, the sound bleeding from stage to stage, the garbage everywhere....

Granted, I've seen some incredible concerts over the years. Brazilian Girls will always stick out in my mind, as will Toots and the Maytals and Ani Difranco. K'Naan last year was really memorable. Juana Molina blew my brains out.

But a lot of other stuff has sucked, either because of the bleeding sound, or because I can't see anything. I'm 5'2 and I don't wear heels. It's a miracle if I can see the stage.

My BH and I decided not to go this year, mostly because we knew we'd be too busy with the house. I'm not regretting it, although missing Dan Mangan hurts my heart.

In other news, we found a fridge to buy. It's going to be white and small, instead of gigantic and black. Although I'd rather not have to buy anything, it will probably improve the look of the kitchen to have something less imposing than our current monster of a fridge. Now we just need to sell our extra flooring, unpack, change the light fixtures, have our shed installed, finish painting, and landscape.

I'm going to die.

In music-related news, I bumped into a friend of mine last night, and he's offered to help me set up my closet studio. This includes some ProTools lessons and some additional soundproofing. I love having musical friends who will help me in exchange for baked goods.

Still haven't found my camera cable, so no adorable pictures of the dogs for you. Sad.

Leaky Leaky

2010-07-13T08:13:00.001-07:00

When our fridge started leaking, I shrugged it off. The fridge is nearly new, and the water coming out of the bottom seemed harmless.

Silly me.

You see, the guy we bought the house from turned out to be the cheapest man on the face of the planet. Perhaps worse than my former landlord, if you can believe it.

A few examples:

He saved every screw he ever had, so when we needed to remove a simple piece of wood from a wall, we changed our drill bit no less than seven times to account for the changing heads. Deck screws, drywall screws, metal screws, support plugs, nails.... You name it.

The "new kitchen" he installed in our unit before we bought the place was actually a collection of cabinets he got for free, and then frankensteined together with his screw collection.

Also, when he bought appliances, he bought them used from the cheapest places in the city. As such, they are all falling apart. Case in point.... Our fridge.

When the fridge repair guy came to the house yesterday, I guess he thought we were making a big deal out of nothing. A little bit of water. Pffft. Then he looked at the back of the fridge and said, "Oh boy."

Anyway, we need to buy a new fridge within the next few days before our compressor completely dies and our fridge runs out of coolant.

The thing is, I'm so deeply in debt that the extra punch in the gut from a new fridge won't feel like much. It's just frustrating because it shouldn't really be happening. The fridge is only a few years old.

Regardless. I'm still happy to have a working washer and dryer. I'm happy about my new banjo. I'm happy I can take a normal shower. And that's enough for me.

Mother-effing Shelves

2010-07-12T10:29:00.001-07:00

Some house updates.... Since people actually seem to be interested in it.

Remember that nonsense with my showerhead? Like, the pipe coming out of the wall was a weird size and therefore nothing would fit on it?

I went to four stores, including one that specializes in PLUMBING for chrissakes, and nobody could help me. The last one I tried, the salesguy shook his head and told me I was screwed. "The piece you need is very hard to find. Even Preston Hardware doesn't carry it, and they carry everything."

Even Preston Hardware doesn't have it? Well, I really AM screwed, I thought.

But two days ago I found myself in Preston Hardware buying Murphy Oil, and I thought I'd take a gander at the plumbing section. Just to see. A nice man asked if I needed help, and I described my problem.

"You have an old clawfoot tub, I imagine?" he said.

"Uh, yes... How did you know that?" I asked.

"This is the part you need," he smiled, holding up a piece of metal that cost a measly $3.99.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Oh yes. This will fix your problem. I'm positive."

Sure enough, I went home, installed my new find, and I can now take a normal shower. THANK YOU PRESTON HARDWARE. Everyone else, including YOU, specialty plumbing store... You suck.

In less triumphant news, I just realized that the "blanket" I've been sleeping under for the past week is actually my tablecloth. Ahem. No wonder it was so lightweight.

My BH and I popped into a few antique stores over the weekend to find a teak sideboard. We were wandering around the gigantic antique market in Old Ottawa South when I saw it... A little tenor banjo. Cheap, ancient, and oh so pretty. Did I mention cheap? I love buying instruments from people who don't actually specialize in music. It sometimes translates into affordable banjos for yours truly.

So instead of having a nice sideboard in the living room, we now have a new banjo in the music closet. I'm feeling pretty thrilled about it. Who needs a place to put a TV, anyway? I don't even have a TV right now. But I do have two hands and a WICKED NEW BANJO.

We accomplished a lot this weekend - our laundry area is totally finished, which means clean clothes and some motherfucking shelves (if you thought they were just regular shelves, well, you were wrong). Next up, we have to put together the dining room table and donate eleventy million books. Do you know how many books we have? So many. I can't even believe how many. It's time to thin the herd, so to speak.

Anyway. I can shower now. I think that's all I really wanted to say.

BOLO!

2010-07-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last night, I attended the always-entertaining Blog Out Loud Ottawa. Daaamn, we have some great bloggers in this city.

I didn't read this year, mostly because I haven't been writing the most inspiring posts as of late. How was I going to choose between crap and crap? The answer was to listen, laugh, and cradle my Guiness. No pressure to be witty when other people are reading.

I am hoping to read next year, so I guess I'll have to up my game a bit! It would help if I could find my camera cable so I could woo you all with pictures. Oh, the side effect of having my life in boxes.

Catching up with all my favourite bloggers was a real perk. I was amazed how many of you asked about my new house. Actually, to be specific, most of you did the following:

"Hey Stella. How's the house? Are you... Okay?" (insert worried look here, and maybe a pat on the shoulder)

I'm going to guess that a lot of you have been through renovations before, and that's why you were all scared about the state of my mental health. Thank you for your concern.

Here's how it is.

The house, although it is a big flaming messy adventure, will look really great in about a month. In the meantime, I am changing in front of an open window, showering under an open pipe, and wrapping my bulldogs in wet towels before bed. Like overheated pigs in a blanket. But they are dogs in a towel. And they are not for munching.

I think my handsome BH is having a worse go of it than me, simply because I am loving this soupy steamy weather, and he wants to move to Antarctica. We are different creatures. What can I say?

This week we have some patching and painting to do, as well as putting up our clothesline and assembling a new storage unit for the kitchen. Pictures of finished projects will go here, at least whenever I buy a new camera cord. Booo.

Our Disaster

2010-07-05T08:17:00.001-07:00

It has been an odd few days. Do I say that a lot? I think I do.

First off, we are now living at the new house. It's a disaster, but it's OUR disaster. We love it.

Although technically we're in the same neighbourhood, we're far enough away from our old street that everything seems brand new. We miss our old neighbours, but it's been nice to get away from our former landlord (aaah, it feels good to type that) and the dog-abusing shithead who lived not far from us. May they both get their own.

Yesterday was a break from unpacking... We went to Montreal for an afternoon and had a brilliant time at the Jean Talon market. After a bit of clothes shopping and wood-fired pizza, we headed back home. Unfortunately, when we arrived back in Ottawa, my grandmother had to go to the emergency room for an unspecified pain. She's doing fine now, but it was a late night. We sat with her and helped her fill out papers. Emerg is such a strange place... To bide the time, you are forced to observe everyone in the room because there are really no books or magazines. Confined space and panicking babies. Delightful!

The renos continue, and continue, and continue..... This is the week of electrical work. Our electrician, a cheerful guy named Dave, will be slaving away in this crazy heat for at least the next four days. Lucky guy. Good thing he has a sense of humour.

Most of the renos are coming together fine, but we've hit a bump in the road. We currently don't have a shower head because the pipe coming out of the wall is too small. It doesn't fit anything in standard size, and you can't buy adapters or heads to match this pipe. Yeah, I know..... It's dumb. We'll either be showering without a proper head forever, or we'll have the plumber come and replace the pipes. I don't like either of those options, but hey. At least we have shower curtains now. No more show for the neighbours!

For those of you wondering about this mysterious EcoLawn product... You can buy it at Home Hardware in the Glebe. It's a mix of seeds that look like grass, but aren't. They only grow to be about six inches high and then they stop. It creates this lovely soft lawn that doesn't need to be watered or cut. It grows in shade or sun, and it's purrty. Our friends planted it when they designed their yard, and we were hooked.

Man, my writing is really sucking ass these days. Apologies. I can't write eloquently when I'm this tired.

I'm considering heading out to Blog Out Loud this Wednesday, but I guess it will all depend on the house madness. Maybe I'll see y'all there?

Oh Hai!

2010-06-29T11:01:00.001-07:00

I'm baaaack!

At least, I'm now in a schedule that should allow me to post regularly again. This doesn't mean that the house is ready for comfy human occupation.... Far from it.

Here's what happened:

The reno company got slightly behind schedule, which meant we couldn't finish our floors in time for the move, which meant the movers had to pile all our crap to the ceiling in one small part of the house that had a finished floor, which meant we couldn't unpack anything - especially our bed - which means that we've been sleeping on the old pullout at the old apartment every night despite not having anything there but our toothbrushes. And we have to be out of that apartment tomorrow, so we have no choice but to stay at the House With No Floor.

Yes. All true.

That's not the only thing to go wrong, either. My work is making cuts..... Big, gaping cuts... And I came back yesterday to find that my boss (an old friend who trained me and taught me everything I know) had been let go. Other people in my workplace are being cut too, and this is only the first round of cuts. More to come next year, apparently. It's not the safety of my job that's got me riled up, it's the fact that my boss was let go. I'm mad. So fucking mad. I haven't been this mad in a long time, and I'm worried I'm going to tell someone off. I can't decide if I should stay or not. I don't really want to leave, but this anger is threatening to consume my cubicle.

So I was all upset about this last night, and I couldn't sleep. I started to doze off around 3am when I heard Morty stir. Then he stood up, puked a pile of sticks on the floor and fell asleep again while I cleaned it up.

That, folks, is my life at the moment.

There are some positive things going on, however:

- Our EcoLawn is growing! It's green and fuzzy and we'll never need to cut it.

- We've discovered that Frida is allergic to dust, not grass. Oh well... EcoLawn is still fun.

- I finally found my underwear packed away in a random box, so now I can stop going commando.

I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel for these cheerful bullets, hey? I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Ten Years of Fine Ass

2010-06-18T10:41:00.001-07:00

My BH and I have reached quite a milestone, if I do say so myself. Ten years ago, we went on our first date.

People often do double takes when we say how long we've been together... And I totally get it. We met when we were both pretty young (I guess we're still pretty young), and at the time, we thought it would be a short-term thing. I was planning to go to university in Montreal. He was planning to move to northern Ontario. We figured it would be a summer of fun dates.

It didn't occur to me at the time, but I think I changed my plans for him. Suddenly I wasn't so rushed to apply to Concordia and McGill. I considered working for a bit "to save money," which really meant staying in Ottawa. His plans shifted too, and eventually he wasn't craving the blackflies and frost like he used to. From that first date onwards, we saw each other every single day for MONTHS. It didn't seem excessive at the time, and we only realized what we had been doing when we were forced to spend a day apart a few months in.

It felt like a really big deal.

I fell for him the second I laid eyes on him, but it's not for the sappy rom-com reasons you might think. When he walked into the music store where I was working, I could not keep my eyes off his ass. Seriously. That ass deserved a prize. How could I see that ass again? Luckily for me, he returned to following week to ask me out. More ass for me to admire!

It's been ten years, and he still has a fabulous butt. The rest of him is pretty fine too. Happy anniversary, hot stuff!

+++++++++++

In other news, I was just chatting with my contractor, who is a sweet guy and also happens to be a friend of mine. I was asking if we were still on track to be done everything in time for my move this Thursday. He responded with a detailed itinerary of all the work he's got planned, but there was a problem. His itinerary went well beyond our move date.

Him: So we'll be all set for your move on Thursday the 1st.

Me: Dude, I'm moving THIS Thursday.

Him: Yeah, the 1st.

Me: No, the 24th. And I need to put my floors down before we move in.

Him: .......... OH. That's not the Thursday I was thinking of.

So! Now we're in overdrive mode while him and his boys try to finish the house in time. Things are about to get CRAZY folks. Wish us luck.

WTF

2010-06-14T13:16:00.001-07:00

Progress:

- We are getting a fence in the next few days.

- My recording closet is nearing completion!

- Morty tried to poo in a rose bush yesterday and quickly changed his plan. Wise puppy. Nobody wants to pull thorns out of a bulldog's ass.

- Frida has nightmares and occasionally howls into my ear at night.

- My BH looks especially sexy when he is painting the new house. It's.... Distracting.

- Did I mention that my recording closet is almost done???

WTF.

Now, Now, Now

2010-06-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

I've really been enjoying the renovation process... Probably more than most people would. I'm actually depressed to be back at work because it means I can't supervise contractors and smash things with a hammer.

Still, I've reached the point where I'm ready to move. We don't have the movers booked until the end of the month, which makes sense, because we still have so much to do. In reality, though, I'd like to press fast forward and magically wake up at the new house, with the walls all painted, the boxes unpacked, and the grass all grown.

I know this will happen relatively quickly, fast forward button or not. But my apartment is a disaster (we are basically only sleeping there at this point), my landlord is still a shit, and amazingly enough, the loud renos that made me want to buy a house back in December continue to this day.

I guess I'd just like some quiet.

In related news...

I'm really enjoying being a landlord. I'm loving renovations. I like the house buying process. And now I'm wondering if I shouldn't plan a slow move away from the desk job into property management. That, plus music, could make me a very happy Stella.

Thoughts, dear readers? We're talking years down the line, mind you.... But it's food for thought.

Monday, Sunny Monday

2010-06-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Oh hai.

I'm just sitting here with my two gassy bulldogs, waiting for my asshole landlord to come by.

You know what's funny about that? I'm a landlord too, now. And I know what not to do because of this guy. I'm not going to thank him for it, but there you have it.

I go back to work tomorrow, which is both good and bad. It's good because it will give me a break from the renos so I can organize my lists and receipts. The rest will be nice.

It also means I'll miss the majority of the garage demolition, which is a bit depressing. How many times am I going to be able to watch a team of shirtless, sweaty men tear down a building in my backyard? I mean, really.

Morty can't wait to have a yard. I can see it in his eyes. Actually, it will happen really quickly.... The garage should be down in about a day and a half.

In other news, my BH graduates today. I am so, so, so proud of him. It's not easy to go back to school when all your classmates are younger than you, and when you are pretty much the only guy.

Wait, that doesn't sound so bad, come to think of it....

But seriously, he is just the greatest. I'm beaming.

Hope you are all enjoying this sunny Monday.

Half Naked Dudes

2010-06-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

I went to Peterborough for my little sister's graduation. It was awesome. I'm so proud of her. Just to make sure I fully enjoyed myself, I drank beer and went to my favourite antique store. You know how it is - without beer and antiquing, Peterborough makes me scream.

At the antique store, I bought a pair of vintage bulldog bookends, and a framed proclamation from Queen Victoria uniting the provinces of Canada. Pictures to come. That antique store impresses me every time I go. They also have an impressive collection of vintage porn.

The renovations are going well, minus a few hiccups. The hiccups relate mostly to the installation of our wood floor, which makes me want to cry every time I open a new box. Considering that the renos have been pretty smooth otherwise, crying over engineered wood flooring isn't so bad. But man, does it ever make me cry.

My demolition permit came through, and that garage is a comin' down next week. I can't wait!! Bulldozers and half naked dudes hauling concrete! It doesn't get any better.

That's all I've got in the tank for now.

Alive!

2010-05-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm alive!

I've done more painting and demolition in the past two weeks than I've ever attempted.... Ever. I also know the layout of Home Depot pretty much by heart, which is not a skill I hoped to master. But there you have it.

The next week will be spent putting down a wood floor. Then we actually start moving in. I honestly can't wait to see it come together.

But enough about the house! Surely other things have been going on... Right? Here's a rundown of my activities as of late:

- I played the Tulip Fest, but because they didn't have a CD tent, I missed out on the chance to actually sell anything. Thank goodness it was a paying gig.

- I don't think I'm going to play any gigs for the rest of the summer. My rationalization is that I want to give my brain some time to enjoy the new house, and maybe even have some quiet writing time. Also.... I'm just burned out.

- It's become clear to me in the past couple of weeks that I'm good at being bossy. Maybe I could make a career out of that...

- My little sister is graduating! I'll head up to Peterborough next week for the ceremony. My enjoyment of Peterborough is always tied to two things: how much I can drink while I'm there, and how many antique stores I can hit up. If I do neither of these things, I tend to dislike my visit. Sorry, town.

- The neighbours on my new street are lovely. This is good, because they have some tough competition from my current beloved street.

- Despite extensive planning, we've been eating like crap since the renos started. I don't really have a good excuse - I just need to make time to cook. No more take out. Say it with me now.

- My dogs? They are adorable. The other day, Frida got into a tube of toothpaste and was covered by the time we got home. Minty fresh puppy. Also.... Terribly mischievous.

Thanks for sticking with me, folks!

EDIT: Ooooh, I almost forgot.... There is a distinct possibility that we will have a swap box at the new house. More soon.

Love From Renoland

2010-05-25T15:40:00.001-07:00

Remember the time I thought I could manage blogging and tearing up a house?

Remember that?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

More soon.