Hella Stella

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.

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?

Today I found out what my work schedule will look like over the next six months, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a mini panic attack right there in the board room.

The days of saying I have a pretty chill job are OVAH, my dear readers. Bring the crazy. This may kill my songwriting mojo for good.

In order to distract myself from the impending meltdown, I'd like to direct you all to my good friend XUP's blog. She needs help with a letter from a reader, and it's really too good not to check out. That's not gay talk, that's natural talk. (You'll have to read the post to get it) (It's really worth it, I promise)

Isn't the internet amazing? All the psychos you try to avoid in everyday life, funneled into your inbox.

But seriously, speaking of the internets, I'm starting to notice a trend. I've got more and more friends dropping off Facebook, leaving their blogs, unplugging themselves from the world wide web. At the same time, sites like Twitter are exploding (admittedly, I still don't get the appeal of this one), and iPhones / Blackberries see to it that people are never more than a click away from their mail.

Where's the balance? Where are we headed?

I think I could go either way. Right now, I love me some technology. I like having access to my e-mail, my blog, my other sites and my friends with the touch of a button or two.

However, if I ever felt that I had one too many trolls, or one too many psychotic e-mails, I would consider changing my lifestyle dramatically. Kill the sites, shut down the account, and get by with the basics. I've done it before in the face of The Crazy, and I would do it again. No regrets.

I know that I've been warned of certain creeps by my friends online, and I've warned others. Generally, it's manageable with a good community and a beefy stat counter.

What about you? Stalkers and creeps are an unfortunate part of the internet... But how much is too much? What would make you unplug? Where is your line between funny / strange / scary?

Today was one of those funny days. I didn't do much, but it feels like I did a lot. Does that make sense? Probably not.

My BH and I went to Raw Sugar for a mini date. He snapped this picture of the back of my head, which is handy, because now you can see the pink. I think it might actually fade to a light pink before my next appointment, which is cool with me - then it will match some of my wardrobe.



You know. Because I'm terribly concerned with wardrobe matching.

I snapped this picture, which does not include any pink hair. Those are my favourite pears on a table, next to a plate that once held some tasty banana cake.

Work is really wearing me down these days. It's insanely busy, and will continue to be busy for most of the winter. So I was extremely grateful when Milan said I could use his apartment to write songs in while he's numbing his ass on a bus to BC. Thanks Milan! I hope you regain the feeling in your ass soon.

I'm out, lovelies. Enjoy the last week before Christmas!

My BH's sister very sweetly bought Morty three stuffed rats for him to play with. When the pup fell asleep, it was difficult to resist lining them up. As in, impossible. Gaaah, the cute!



Milan's birthday is coming up, and since he'll be out of town, my BH and I gave him his present early. It may or may not have been obscene.

But we'll go with a 'yes' on that one.

Aaaand Morty's sweet mug.

Sigh. I could just give it a big kiss.

I'm a jeans girl, through and through. If I have a choice between jeans and any other pants/skirts, I'll choose my blues.

This created some problems when I first started working a desk job. I bought several pairs of fancy dress pants, knowing that I would look more professional if I got in the habit of wearing them during the week. But then? I stopped caring. Harsh, but true. I'm just so much more at ease when I'm wearing jeans. They are more comfortable, they are warmer, and they don't look dirty when Morty brushes against them in the morning. These are important things. Also? Even when I force myself to wear dress pants, it's still not enough to disguise the fact that I am a bit of a scrub.

Anyway. I bought new jeans this weekend, because all my old pairs are torn and faded. These are nice and dark, comfortable, and nearly appropriate for the office. The catch? They are so dark that the dye is running. My legs are a weird shade of blue. My hands are blue. When I scratch my nose, it smudges blue. I'll have to wash them several more times before the colour sets. But you know.... Blue hands and all... It's still worth it. All hail comfort!

This weekend was great. First there was the bloggers' breakfast, which was especially fun this time around. Raino's girls asked about Morty* within seconds of my arrival, which thrilled me to no end. I got to chat with all my favourite folks, and the food wasn't bad either.

Sunday was wonderful. I went over to Brian's house, where we proceeded to drink, eat and record music. In reverse order, now that I think about it. I've got demo version of two new songs, which is so crazy exciting.... We even put some harmonies on. Just imagine what I'll be able to do when I set myself up with some recording gear this summer! Drooool.

I'm spending this week preparing for my gig in Toronto this Saturday. I'm hoping to practice the shit out of my new songs with the hope that I'll remember them during my set. We'll see. At my last gig, I somehow forgot how to play Running Shoes. When I apologized to Brian afterwards, he kindly said, "It wasn't a mistake... It was just a new arrangement."

Kind. Very kind.

*It doesn't fit cleanly into this post, but I have to mention it anyway. My BH and I were walking Morty down the street when we stopped to chat with Megan and Shelley. They were clearing up old grass and leaves from their yard. They had put all the debris in a nice pile, about to be loaded into bags. As we were talking, Morty went over to the pile, sniffed it, straddled it, and peed all over it. "Is he peeing??" Shelley asked. I was mortified, no pun intended. Luckily for me, Shelley and Megan both had serious work gloves on that hopefully protected them from Morty's, um, contribution. Morty looked SO PLEASED with himself...

This was a truly lovely long weekend. Allow me to illustrate...

Morty and Jewel took a walk together and didn't attempt to kill each other. Jewel belongs to two of my best friends and let's just say she didn't get the memo about loving thy neighbourly dog.

To be fair to Jewel, Morty has taken to taunting her, just because he can. Sneaky boy!



Mark opened some mighty fine wine, and we all drank it. Is there anything finer than drinking wine with friends in a park?

No.

Holy shit, that was some great food. See the sushi rice/tofu pockets? I made those! More info for those who want to know. Can't recommend them enough.

Here, Milan's brother attempts to explain "gaming" to me. I lost him when he started talking about runes and trolls... Or troll runes... Or... Beards? I don't remember. I was lost, as I said.

But he's all into it.

You can see Milan's excellent photos in the background. Oh! And there's Milan!

Mmmm. Coffee. Did you know that I didn't drink coffee until Raw Sugar opened?

True.

Random Stella fact, just for you.

There you have it. I couldn't have asked for a better time. Here's hoping you did something lovely this weekend too!

Milan's photo vernissage was crazy fun! Congrats to him for all the hard work.

I played a couple of quick songs with Brian, who just happened to walk in a few minutes before my mini-set. For something we didn't have planned in the least, it was most excellent.

Astronaut Love Triangle was every bit as awesome as they promised to be. Manny Blue signed my chest after the show!! I want a matching pair. Aggie? You there? Get out the sharpie...

(photo stolen from Milan)

Monday sure came quickly. Holy smokes.

Certain Sort was some pretty excellent fun. I kept my goal of not getting overly wasted, and my weekend was better for it... No hangover the next morning, but enough goofy pictures on my camera to make me shake my head (Heather, I'm looking at you). Really, it was the best of both worlds. And a very happy Pride.

Saturday I slept. Really, I didn't know it was possible to nap that much in one day. What else are you going to do when it's cold and rainy out? I went to the Manx Saturday night after the weather cleared, and swiftly burned myself on a veggie taco. They could probably call it the DANGEROUS VEGGIE TACO just so clumsy eaters like me know to take precautions. My brain was sort of puttering along at that point, so I guess I was asking for it. Hot food + tired brain = burny hurty.*

Sunday was an odd mix of happenings - funeral unveilings, pride goodness, pictures in the park, and dinner with my folks. My favourite part of Sunday was watching my BH and Milan chasing each other around to see if the GPS on their phones would catch up to them. Boys and their toys. Hilarious.

This week promises to be great - it finishes with a pretty cool event... Milan's photo exhibition at Raw Sugar! You guys know Milan. You know his excellent photos. Come on out to this event and we'll all ooh and aah at his photographic prowress. Word on the street is that he's gotten Ottawa's prolific Astronaut Love Triangle to play some songs. At least, I think they're prolific. I should really know this. I am a huge fan, after all.

Some songwriter will also play a few tunes on the banjo. Or so I hear.

But dudes. ASTRONAUT LOVE TRIANGLE. Need I say more?

*Hey, when did they fix up the women's bathroom in there? I was so used to holding the door closed while I peed, I was a little surprised when I saw the functional lock. I guess it's been a while since I've checked out the washrooms, so it's probably been fixed for ages. Either way, it's a welcome upgrade! Thanks, Manx.

Finally, Friday is here.

I've got to admit... The last three weeks have not been my favourite of the summer. But as of Monday, my boss will be back, I'll be gigging, and there will be some fun events to attend. I'm pretty relieved about it all. Maybe I'll even be able to catch up on some sleep.

Last night, Jo and Megan did a reading at Raw Sugar. I was afraid I would miss it because I was getting my hair cut right after work. Luckily for me, I arrived just in time - crazy hair and all.* Have you guys seen these two read before? It's really something else.

Jo's reading was funny and familiar, and I keep running over the details of her story in my mind. I love that I can picture everything she says right down to the t-shirt descriptions.

Megan's reading was also familiar (cough cough... okay, not quite... I have yet to have sex in an airplane washroom) and crazy hot. You can buy her new zine at Venus Envy, and all proceeds go to the Venus Envy Bursary Fund. I could talk at length about this fund, but I think I'll save that post for a little later next week.

This weekend I'm attending a baby shower. It's only my third baby shower ever, I think... But I suspect I'll be attending more and more over the next couple of years. Admittedly, I've never really had a wicked time at a shower. It's one of those strange parties that can get awkward really fast. Dudes who don't know what to do. Single ladies who don't know what to do. Moms who are SO EXCITED about everything. Diaper trees.

Hopefully tomorrow's shower will be fun. I think I'll go see Julie and Julia afterwards, so no matter how the party goes, I'll have a great evening.


*Note to self: do not ask stylist to "just do something funky" when she is finishing up with your hair. You may walk out looking like the spawn of a sea creature who mated with Elvis. At least I got a great conversation about Bumpits out of the whole thing... And a fabulous new skunk stripe, obvs.

Bloggers! Holla!

There were loads of you there last night! For some reason I wasn't expecting such a giant crowd. And actually, I think most of you were there to listen, which was great. Made me wonder if I should have chosen a more exciting post, like the one Nat did about crazy sex (props to Nat!).

Actually, I liked the one I read, in the end. It was just such a ridiculous sequence of events. On Christmas fucking Eve, of all times. Plus I got to say "exploding poo" and "crackhouse" and "naked" within the same five minutes. Granted, I'm used to hiding behind an instrument when I'm in front of a crowd. For some reason it's easier to focus on a banjo than on a wrinkly piece of paper.

It was great to meet some new people too, and I loved hearing everyone read. I completely lost my shit during XUP's bit (by the way, I call her Urban Pedestrian, because I'm a rebel. Zoop is too close to Zoom for me). When she said "The ugly black dog was so excited he was trying to mount the baby" I think Evey had to hold me down so I didn't disturb the crowd.

Milan was whizzing around taking pictures the whole time... You can see some of them on the Raw Sugar Facebook group. Actually, there was an entire table of pretty women with pretty cameras. There are probably great shots from the evening all over the internets.

I did end up bringing Morty by the cafe after everything was over. He made googly eyes at the kid with curly hair and then proceeded to get spooked and crawled onto my head. He seems to like crawling onto my head, which would be fine if he wasn't a fifty pound bulldog. However, because he IS a fifty pound bulldog, I end up with a lot of shoulder sprains and sideways looks. "Why is that bulldog sitting on that girl's head?" Yeah, I know. He's a little protective.

There were a bunch of you I didn't get to meet though, sadly. Are y'all out there? Are you lurking? How did you like the evening?

My BH and I are hanging out in the woods this weekend, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post. If not, try not to despair at the rain. Do what I do. PLAY TWISTER. (That reminds me... Can anyone recommend a great board game that two people can play? I need to increase my stash if we're going to have more rainy weekends like this one.)

It's Blog Out Loud tonight! I'm pumped!

I think I've even decided on a post, but I'll keep it to myself in case I change my mind. Thanks to Lynn, by the way, for making this all happen.

Meeting local bloggers at the breakfasts has always been fun, so I'm looking forward to meeting more of you this evening. And since Morty will be within trotting distance from the venue, I may grab him near the end so y'all can squish his rolls in person. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.

Squish. Squish.

(Edit: It's possible Morty won't be within trotting distance after all... I'll play the squishing part by ear)

Morty was home last night, and wow, it is so much more fun to curl up in bed when there is a puppy around. I know he kicks me in the face, and snores, and barks in his sleep, and drools, and clings to my head, and pushes me off the mattress.... But he is just so snuggly! I'm hooked. What can I say?

Also, it's kinda funny when he hears something in the night and then stands over my head to growl into the darkness. He's a bit protective.

So... It turns out all this walking I do (to and from work, about an hour a day) is really fucking up my legs. I have problems with my legs and feet as it is; compressed nerves and numbness and other nastiness. But in the past few months, it has elevated to stabbing pain and swelling. I don't really want to stop walking, so I'm doing stretches and massage, but I huuuurt. And it blows.

Done complaining for now, thanks.

I'll be seeing some of you this evening... In case you want to say hi, I'm the short young'un with a skunk stripe of platinum in her hair. I'll probably be saying something crass. Just so you know.

The gig in Toronto was good, but the highlight by far was getting to catch up with some of my favourite folks during the 12 hours I was actually in the city.

My voice was tired and at the last minute, I changed my skirt into a shirt because I thought I looked tarty. Hopefully the switch dialed down the tartiness a bit. The venue was great, complete with a creepy stone basement, and the two boys on the bill were kick ass. The room was pretty full too, which is always a good thing. However, I didn't get to bed until 3am, which is something I haven't done in a while. The train ride home was essentially a long, uncomfortable sleep.

I really need to go to Toronto with no agenda. I never get to do half the stuff I want to when I'm there. I could just walk around my fave neighbourhoods for days... And did you hear? Pages is closing! I'd like to get back there before it shuts down for good. I stopped by right before I caught my train and stocked up on Fomato cards. They have become a bit of an obsession for me.

The reason I came back as quickly as I did was because of the Bluesfest... I didn't want to miss Neko Case and Ani Difranco. I'm glad I came back. My BH and I found Milan and we all enjoyed some tunage until the festival finished. I loved Neko's set - she's really phenomenal. But Ani? Kicked such ass that I found myself transforming into a screaming 12-year-old girl again. Seeing her happy like that actually choked me up. Spoken like the rabid fan I am. Her new songs were great, too.

My only complaint is that the jerk next to me blew his cigarette smoke into my face for most of the concert. My angry glares didn't seem to register with him. Hey dude? You are a Grade A jackass.

I have two more nights of Bluesfest and then I'm done... In the end, I'm relieved I didn't go for the full pass, because I would have burned right out. A few key shows will suit me fine.

I had a lovely weekend, threatened only by the fact that I had two very short and very bad sleeps.

They would have been long and pleasant sleeps, but Morty was snoring so loudly that the mattress shook. I lay awake between 4am and 7am both nights, occasionally tilting Morty's head this way and that, trying to stop the sound. When it finally stopped (at 6:45 am), my BH spread out his limbs like a starfish and sighed happily in his slumber. I was pushed off the bed.

Like I said. Bad sleep. (And another shining example of why I need a king-sized bed!)

Everything else was great.

I had a tasty breakfast with Robin, Zoom and the GC, while XUP tended to her daughter's broken bones.

Later that evening, my BH and I showed Milan how to make Fresh's always-amazing crispy tofu recipe. I insisted on the tofu lesson after Milan revealed that he doesn't cook very often, and as a result, eats mostly beans. "Unacceptable!" I screeched. Poor soul. Luckily, he brought wine, and I got kinda stupid after that. He and my BH talked at length about web comics while I sat drunkenly on the couch, rubbing Morty's tummy.

I also seem to remember Milan re-explaining his elephant penis theory, which I have requested he blog about since I can't seem to wrap my brain around it. But it does involve length approximation and pee.

Sunday I lived up to my promise to help Tiana organize her kitchen cupboards. I love to organize, and she prepared a giant fruit platter, so it was a fair trade. Since we had never met in person, we made a pact that we wouldn't break each other's knees should one of us turn out to be in the mob. It worked; we are both still walking today. Tiana also has shiny new cupboards with sexy labels and proper spice containers. Joy!

My only weekend disappointment was my attempt to make bread using the wrong kind of flour. Did you know whole wheat doesn't rise the same way as white all-purpose? I knew that too, but I grabbed the wrong container and mixed it (and baked it!) before I noticed. LAME.

Thanks to everyone for your nice comments about Andi's TV spot.

I should have mentioned that I find her performance especially impressive because BNN pulled the rug out from under her - she was told she would be talking about the Energy Day of Action, and instead she was used as an example of beaver-loving environmentalists everywhere. They also slapped the mic on her and then put her on air without so much as a word, like "Oh, you should look at the camera when responding to our douche of an interviewer" or "You're going on air NOW." Nope, it was a complete farce of proper broadcasting etiquette.

Anyways. Good on you, gal.

Now for some exciting news that I'm putting out there to make sure I actually get it done... My BH and I are going to try and visit Japan next year! (Adele! You're not planning on moving just yet... Right?! :)) I'm having visions of bento supplies and fancy fabric. And I guess we'll also have to see if the money comes together. Heh.

This weekend is all about bloggers. I'm seeing more of y'all in two days than I've seen since the last breakfast meetup! Most excellent! Details to come.... Possibly with pictures.

Since my rush of gigs this fall, music has slowed to a crawl.

It's fine - my brain hasn't really been down with planning and booking and all that jazz. Other than snagging a few winter gigs (including one for Bywords on Feb. 1, come on out!), I'm happy to take things a day at a time.

Except that sometimes I remember why I love to play, and why I sometimes get the urge to book every show I can get my hands on. I had such a reminder this morning when I was listening to the new Beyonce album at max volume.* There I was, head bopping to the music, fists pumping in the air, and I started to plan out my next musical venture: a Beyonce cover band.

Granted, both my previous bands featured Destiny's Child covers at one point or another. It was good, clean fun. They were even good, clean songs (we obviously didn't cover Bootylicious).

But a full Beyonce cover band? My heart swelled as I imagined the outfits, the wigs, the dancing and the SYNTHESIZER. I started making the musical arrangements in my head, trying to place everything, trying to figure out how many instruments I could fake on my keyboard. The keyboard I don't own and would need to buy to pull this off, but hell, isn't Beyonce worth it?

Then I started to get that rush I used to get when I would plan shows. All the searching, coordinating and pretending to practice. Aaah, I can't wait.

Whether or not this comes to fruition, it's been worth it just to remember that I love doing what I do.

All I need now is a wig or three.

*Surprised? I love Beyonce. LOVE HER. There's nothing wrong with a mouthy banjo player crushing on B the Diva. You know it.

Click here for a fabulous Beyonce song that is part ironic, part sarcastic, part demeaning and ALL GOOD.

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

Just a heads up y'all. Zoom has made a tofu-related bet with me that she will lose, and I can say this with full confidence. Not only will she lose, but upon losing she will need to post a video or either her or Duncan doing something amazing, and potentially acrobatic.

You're welcome.

This bet was made at Raw Sugar Saturday evening, when Zoom, the GC, my BH and Milan all shared a table. Which reminds me... Milan, can you pretty please write a post about those crazy birds that can't seem to stay alive? That shit is seriously funny.

I was hoping to update this blog a little more frequently than I have this month, but having a virus take over your computer really effs things up. You know how long it took this baby to power up just now? About half an hour.

Other than my sickly laptop, it's been one heckuva weekend. I had a lovely brunch that XUP describes better than I can. You bloggy folk may think I chat a lot about my puppy here, but it's a whole other ball game in person. As in, I do not shut up about him. And I speak with gestures, no matter how obscene. You're welcome.

My mom and I had a great day baking Christmas goodies, which isn't something we've ever made a habit of doing. I think that should change. We made toffee (actual honest to goodness toffee! It took 15 minutes!), white and dark chocolate almond bark, and key lime cookies all from the latest Martha mag. I am scared that I'll eat all the sweets before I can gift them, they are that good.

I also discovered that the aching pain I've had in my mouth for the past two weeks is a giant out-of-control infection. When I mentioned this to my mom, she said she was surprised that I let it go as long as I have. In explaining myself to her, I realized that I tend to let dull pains take care of themselves, often to my own demise. Sharp pains? I deal with ASAP. But a low, throbbing pain in the back of my mouth? Aw hell, I'll just let that get worse until I have trouble swallowing and my face starts to look puffy.

There's a fun show happening at the Manx tonight, so I think I'll head down there as soon as I gargle again with salt water and wince at the pain I pretty much caused myself. It's going to be an experience, I'll say that much. Salt on the wound.

This virus-bound computer is getting taken in on Tuesday for a little TLC, so hopefully I'll be able to write a little more frequently come December.

Stay sexy, folks!

Milan came over for tea and Morty charmed him. By charmed I mean humped his leg vigorously. Four separate times.


Milan was very understanding. I mean, who could stay mad at this cute mug?



It's fun when Milan visits because he says long words with a straight face. He asked me if I could recommend any interesting music so I gave him Fuck The Pain Away by Peaches. With a straight face.

I think I'm coming down with a cold, so I'll be happy when Friday is done and I can crawl into bed with my Martha magazine and an alcoholic beverage. Isn't brandy a cure-all drink?

Night folks.