FAI2013 wrap up

Ok,
I've returned from Folk Alliance.
I'm beat... not in the way I've been beat on returning from OCFF in the past -I've learned that if I only have one or two drinks each night during showcases I'll a) not want to die the next morning from fatigue b) hear more music and c) have a better time!

I'm beat in that "my brain no longer functions in a way that allows me to form a sentence" way, and I'm just plain old "people'd out". I need to stare at a wall and sing loudly to myself or not hear ANYTHING for a few hours. Either approach should do the trick.

What did I see?
What did I love?
What did I learn?
Who did I meet?

I don't have answers for any of that right now.

Wait.. that's a lie.

I went to 8 showcases and an awards presentation Wednesday night, 1 thursday (I came in just in time to start my volunteer shift, then went to bed...) 3 workshops, 6 showcases, and 14 private showcases Friday, 8 showcases and ... um... 12? private showcases Saturday.... um... I think ... just doing the math quick in my head, that's close to 70 acts. Not counting the randoms playing in lobbies and stairwells and volunteer check-in... Some well loved favourites, and a bunch of new (to me) solos/groups...  

I heard some AMAZING stuff this week. Live music will always trump a recording...

My favourites tomorrow night....

this old house.

I really like old maps.... what I really love about this one is that my house is in it... hand drawn sometime between 1860 and 1869. LOVE this.



And here's my edited version... marking where I've lived for the past 7 years.... the crazy landlord's house was old enough to make it on the map... it was built 20 years later... but the tiny house on Ball St was there- along with it's twins (2 more identical houses on the street). The only sad realization.... it wasn't that the 'Burg had city planners with a sense of humour putting my intersection together... the corner of James Bond existed well before the movies....

wake up.

some favourite things (within reach):
napping
pooch
uke
couch
secondhand blankets
sunshine

too too

I started writing about the weekend during the weekend.
And erased it.
Then started writing about it after it finished.
And erased it.
Then started writing about it on Monday.
And erased it.


You just had to be there.

Night on the Town

I spent the night in the smoke on Sunday.

I love going to the city for these little visits- I love the excitement and newness of it. I love the faces, the smells, the action, the heat, the sounds.. all mixing and thudding together into one big dance... till you find yourself in the middle of the floor, not knowing which way is up or out, and not even caring.

But I also like to come home.
Lazy afternoons at the bean.
Old friends reconnecting over a slow supper.
Picking food from the garden.
Tiny living?
or Tiny Town living?
Can you do both?

green babies!

ok ok, I'll admit to stealing the "green babies" moniker from Ilex. But it's such a great little name for my tiny little green sprouts!

The weather has finally turned, and after speaking with a few garden friends, we've come to agreement, that maybe the green babies can have an early start this year! I figure since I'll be doing all raised beds, the soil will be more than warm enough, and I'll just keep my eye on the weather guy to determine if the babies will need to be covered up in their beds.

Tomorrow is a sleep in morning... finally. And for some reason I agreed to a breakfast meeting with some friends ... for 8am. honestly, I think my brain must have been sucked out to have said yes to that. Anyway, fully realizing that I'm going to be a write off, I got my laundry done, and hung tonight (fresh for tomorrow's spring breeze). The little sprouts, had the evening out in the shade with me on the deck, they liked it so much, I'm sure I could have sat and WATCHED them growing!

My camera battery died this evening as I went to download the new pics, it's plugged in now... maybe if I'm not a zombie tomorrow I'll get around to showing off "the kids".

I did however get my life organized and printed out some hard copies of my favourite pics from the past year (uh... yeah... so I only JUST realized how much easier it is to go to the photo place and get them done... vs. me actually having ink in my printer) I'm going to try to find some time to stick them into a scrapbook tomorrow, nothing fancy, just pictures and stories, very little embellishment. I'll save that for when I'm manic
;)
kidding.

Also, three sightings this week (ok, in the past two days)... errr... no, I'm not back to my old ways... just a little spring feverish.
again with the kidding.

.... wishful

well, that's decided it then, I'm moving out of the country. Probably back to Africa.
sigh
How great would it be if that was true???

believe it or not, leaving our last apartment WASN'T the end of the crazy landlord! We found an envelope in our mailbox (at our new home) on Wednesday that had been hand delivered... from... yes... her.
It appears that she is now holding our post dated cheques and our rent receipts ransom.
sigh
How great would it be if that WASN'T true???

Yup... a letter stating that we needed to deliver the gas bill in person to her husband at his place of work. And a copy of a tenancy agreement... with the part about giving 60 days notice circled and starred. I'm pretty sure that 16 degree weekends and daytimes cancel out any holdings to any sort of tenancy agreement (we only gave them 46? days.... but moved out after 30) ... though they did start entering the place without our permission before we moved completely out...... anyway, once we delivered the gas bill to him he would give us the post dated cheques and receipts.
yeah... no.
I was done yesterday after 9pm.... he wasn't going to be at his work at that hour, so now it sits in their mailbox. with a note that says "sorry I missed you at work" and another letter asking for our receipts and cheques AND a S.A.S.E to make it easier for them.

But, on a happier note. Our new house is great.
Though the landlord is putting the house back on the market 3 months earlier than she said she was.

Did I mention I'm leaving the country?
sigh

hooked up, linked up... (or) Bunday Monday updates

that's right... we're back online.

pray for the computer, that it lasts another month or so... till I'm able to get my new one.

and now, without further delay.... the missing Monday Bunday shots (and video)

(Giant Binky... only just barely caught it when I turned on the camera... CBC radio in the background... You can get an idea of 'Touf's size when I pan over to him by the computer desk... he can put his nose over the top of the desk, again, just barely caught him doing that too)

Chillin' on the top shelf. They seem to like it best for sleeping.

I think everyone's settling in ok.

:( in a sad but happy sort of way.

A guy that I used to know, not someone I've been in touch with much over the past few years- but someone that I've found myself running into in all odd stages of my life for the past 17 years- passed away this morning.

How does someone young and previously healthy just die?

He went into the hospital a few days ago, it was looking really bad.. then there was an improvement, I opened an email this morning that was titled "exciting news for Kelly"... and thought he'd pulled out of it. It took me a moment or two to decipher the email... I couldn't wrap my mind around the statement "Kelly has gone home to his Father".

It was more of a stunned "I'm not really reading this" moment.

I'm glad he's not having to go thru anymore... but so incredibly sad for his family and close friends....

And dealing with my own issues of mortality... because this is my blog and I can be selfish here.

I heard it on the radio.. on the wrong blog

I just wrote this lovely little piece on how I've been missing my CBC.

~And how the Christmassy tunes channels on the radio have been lacking in the Bing and Bowie content.

~About how I'd cancelled our Internet (effective 28 days from now)

~And how by doing that... it was the most hard hitting of the move preparations.

~About how my contract (for night sleeps) has the opportunity to be extended.. to September.

~And about various other thoughts...

and then I went to hit post and realized I'd been writing it under the wrong blog....

meh.

compile and file. then burn the file.

I'm hoping that as of tonight, I'll be able to say "remember that time we had the landlord from hell?". As opposed to "Guess what our psycho landlord did this time".

Pray that the pieces would fall together.
I'm sick of the heart burn and high blood pressure.

seated like royalty (or) it's all about the small town

Last night a group of us returned to Karaoke. It's been awhile since I've seen my friends.
Myself and another arrived a little early, and we wandered the bar looking to see if anyone had gotten there before us. The back half of the place was filled with old friends, and I chatted for a bit as they prepped themselves for a night of competition ($500 up for grabs).
Seeing there wasn't room for the group we were expecting, we headed back to the front to wait to be seated, we hadn't been there (as a group) in forever... so we didn't want to take our old seats (remember this?) without checking.
A "newer" wait-staff came to us and asked for how many, we guessed about 5, and she asked if we wanted a booth (as it's pretty loud by this point). As we were shrugging our shoulders and taking the offer, a woman comes barreling down between the tables (the head waitstaff).
"what are you doing?" (she says to the waitress) "They NEED their table!"
waitress, looking flushed "uhh?"
the barrel-er "They haven't been here in 5 months! they NEED their table!"
waitress looks at us for some sort of clue
"We'll sit over there." I point at our table.
The barrel-er grins."Welcome back", she says, and walks away.

melting

sometimes I'm so exhausted that it feels like my face is just going to melt off.
land in a puddle
then I'll have to clean it up in the morning.
and that makes me sad.
so instead I cry myself to sleep, and all I have is a wet pillow.

but tonight...
I'm literally melting.
I think the thermostat is broken.
In the winter, we freeze here (unless the landlord is away and her kids crank the temp). It's a big old drafty house, with little to no insulation to speak of... windows that don't quite close... and a random vent into the corner of the kitchen that I stuff socks into when I remember... (note to self:: don't forget to stuff the vent this week).
But not tonight.... tonight I walked into the apartment to the smell of burnt lint (note to self:: time to dust) the thermometer says that it's only 26 degrees... but... for a house that averages 17 degrees....
It's so hot that one of the rads has sprung a leak... I've got a bucket under it, and I've called down to the landlord. If the water didn't smell so funny... I might be in for a nice hot bath before bed.

In other news, life is full of choices... pray for the ones that are appearing right now.... you all know how I adapt to change. (even if it's good)

ah ha... mah date book!

this weekend I was planning on getting to the zoo.
but for some reason, when I got up on Saturday morning.... I WAS UNABLE to change out of my PJs! There was some sort of force field keeping me from getting dressed, from getting out of the house... from leaving the couch! The force field weakened just enough for me to sit and pirate for a bit.. but then! back to the couch!
Knowing it couldn't be resisted, but still knowing I had some yummy soup to make for a dinner I was to go to... I used all my strength (with the help of a Reese peanut butter cup) and fought my way to the grocery store....

in my pajamas.

I put a jean skirt and sweater over them.

have I mentioned the grocery store is pretty much across the street?

confusion:: HOW did the chicken cross the road?

I live on a fairly quiet street traffic-wise.... except for when train 48 pulls in or out (yes, there REALLY is a train 48!) or when any of the other commuter trains are filling and emptying. Then.... I live in congesta-land... I've sat a full 5 minutes at the end of my driveway waiting for the cars to clear so I can leave my house.
I live a few doors down from the station... there are two exits to the main road from the station, the first goes directly to the road... but it's a blind exit and has resulted in many an accident, and the second takes a detour past my house onto a side road that leads to the main road... which is half a blind exit (oh, love the hills). It might have been Monday that I noticed the workers changing the street lights to include the little side road... there-by moving the stopping line for South bound travellers BACK by about 35-40 feet... They started the lights on Tuesday.... I've YET to see all the cars stop in the right spot.
This town is such a creature of habit, each time the light changes 3-5 cars are left sitting in the MIDDLE of the intersection... still blocking the side street. (Having ignored both the "stop here on red" and "do not block intersection" signs)
good grief!

small town lovin'

here's a sampler of why I love a small town.

I went for my coffee the other morning, downtown, at the Bean. As I approach, I'm greeted by an older man sitting at "his" table, he asks me how the new job is going.
I walk into the Bean, the owner yells from the back of the store "Lester, Bester, Pester!" (variations on my name that only he can pull off) I flip open the lid of the coffee card box, and taped to the lid is my card.... someone's been adding their stamps to it. I pay, and glance at the "question of the day" ... the man in the back corner yells "you're too late Les".

Outside the shop, the man from the mountain equipment store asks me why I'm not riding my bike today. I cross the street back to my car, as I get in I hear a faint "hey!" being yelled from the window in an apartment above the street... I glance up, and see my neighbour, working construction finishing the details on the iron-worked balcony.

Later I'm driving, waiting to turn left at an intersection, a small boy is waiting to cross the street, standing beside his bike. The light changes, and he waits.... I wave him to go ahead, and he races across the street, but not before yelling out "Thanks Miss!".

I'm in a store, wandering and enjoying the air conditioning.... when a woman walks up to me and says "Hi, I was wondering... where did you get that tee-shirt you're wearing? I really like it... and it looks really good on you." Her teen aged daughter stands smiling beside her....

I walk to my grocery store, and the lady doesn't ask me if I want to buy a bag, she remembers... I pull my fabric bag out of my pocket after I've paid....

I walk home and at the corner am greeted by a friend I haven't seen in a bit in her car, we block the intersection for awhile, but people drive around... she gets a little animated in her conversation, retelling a story, and a neighbour who's walking home overhears and asks us if everything is ok (greeting us both by name).

*le sigh*
good stuffs.
this never happens on a weekend
tourists.
shesh.

summer sounds

This weekend was the big "Soiree Au Revoir" for the Sheff's house... It's not sold yet, and after this weekend's activities, I think there's more sadness to it's sale... it's just a matter of time.

Everything went off without a hitch, and I spent some time just taking it all in.
I watched and I listened.

The campfire's pop, Melwood strumming, singing... the brat pack's giggles and Jacky's rumbling, people resting... enjoying each other's company, crickets, poetry, a small tousled head poking out from a sleeping bag, clinking of glasses .... fireflies playing in the willow branches.

summer.
♥