July 31, 2011

The things you find in a quaint B&B

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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.

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July 19, 2011

Smooth Lines for Talking to DJs

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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.

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July 13, 2011

Back to life!

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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!

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June 5, 2011

GAWD

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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!

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May 11, 2011

In Bed

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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.

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May 1, 2011

Good Cause

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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.

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April 25, 2011

Well Shit

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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.

xo

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