September - over and out!

I feel like I haven't actually had time to blog recently - life has been busy, but lovely busy.  And today is one of those days where I can't keep my good mood at bay.

What has been going on in September? (and I am writing these down mainly so I don't forget how much I enjoyed this month)

• a wonderful dinner out with my dear pal T - I haven't seen her since May (faaaar too long), followed by this play - funny and surprisingly moving.  Rebecca Northan is genius - she manages to bring humour to the experience without ever making the laughs happen at the expense of the bewildered "date".  If I could have found the time to see it again, I would have.
• VIFF-AWAY!  Yes, the Vancouver International Film Fest has started.  I've seen a couple of films that I've quite enjoyed so far - No , and Teddy Bear.  In summary, No is the one starring the actor with an oversized head; Teddy Bear is the one starring the actor with the oversized body.  13 more screenings to go.
• A dance performance by amazing American dance company Cedar Lake, with my brother.  Neither of us knows a stitch about dance, but that doesn't stop the fascination.

• Hikes in the woods with the lovely L.  Healing for body and soul. Enough said.
• A night with The Shins (well, even if singer James Mercer is the only original member, we will still call the The Shins).  Proof once again that musically Portland was and is awesome.  My video? Not so much, but it will do (I ran out of space at the end, sorry)

• A splurge on a fab pair of oxblood Miz Mooz high boots.  Too many boots? NEVER.
• And...the joy of looking forward to some time off work, more films, more concerts, and a trip to Portland next weekend.

No complaints from my world, right at this moment...

S is for September...Super, and Sucky.

 I'm feeling a bit off these days - a little uncomfortable with things, work and otherwise.  I can only hope that it is the itchiness that ends up causing positive change - or the itchiness that just kind of drifts off by itself.  Either is OK I guess.

I've watched a dear pal go through a painful loss this month - and find myself feeling a big ball of sorrow for her - perhaps a slightly bigger ball because it brings losses of my own up front again as well, just when I was feeling like they were well and truly beaten into submission.  More fool me!  I should know by know that the arrogance of that sort of feeling will inevitably end up biting me in the arse by now.  I will learn, I will learn.


In the meantime, I am MAKING MY OWN YOGHURT! (there was no good segue into this, sorry).  I eat so much of the damn stuff that I figured making my own just made sense - economically, nutritionally (as it will be all dairy and bacteria, nada else - nom nom bacteria!), and because it gives me a suzie homemaker feeling of accomplishment.  I won't tell you how stupid easy it is to make, that would take the mystique away.

And, I've been thinking about this piece by Winston the cat's ex-dad.  I'm conflicted about it - I love his writing and his honesty, and his ability to nail down some feelings that aren't always that easy - but I can't help but think of how painful this sort of thing must be for his ex to read.  And that are things here that maybe it wasn't fair to share. Ultimately, does that matter? Who knows, but it obviously isn't sitting 100% comfortably with me.  And it raises a whole bunch of questions for me about putting this weird electronic life record out for the world to see.  I don't know.  I really don't.

 

Yay for free

Last night I went to a show with three pals - all for free.  In a weird turn of events, I had (once again) won a Georgia Straight contest, this time for two free tickets to Pokey Lafarge and the South City Three - a quirky Americana/roots/country blues group that we saw briefly in the rain at the Folk Fest last year.  Then my pal A called in to a CBC contest and won two more tickets..so off we went.

Now, as for Pokey Lafarge - this is music that is best served live.  I don't imagine I would listen to Pokey on my own time, but boy with his 1940s face and tone, he's something to see, and he knows how to work a crowd. A great show. FYI the video I've embedded is for a 45 that has just been released on Jack White's Third Man records, so people are paying attention.


But the real surprise of the night was the opener - the Alialujah Choir, from my beloved Portland. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but they make some really lovely music. I think humans are hard-wired to react to harmonies, just like I believe we are hard-wired to react in a very visceral way to dance (particularly contemporary - though I know there will be those who react with a "ya, my visceral reaction is it's RIDICULOUS). Regardless,these guys had the audience rapt, and that is hard for an opener to do. I'd go see them again in a heartbeat. And the video below is worth watching - a few minutes of chat at the beginning, then a couple of tracks. Enjoy - I certainly did!