This one is not about cats...

...but I'm afraid it is still about my camera. A little bit at least.

Went to Jose Gonzalez last night at Richards. It was packed - it's the first show I've been to in a long time that WAS packed...not sure if that says something about my musical choices or Vancouver's general laziness about getting off their collective duffs and going to watch a band. OK, yes, yes, I do know, but I'm too nice to say it yet again.

The big audience tried to stay quiet. I think they really did. Of course, there are always a few idiots who will continue to talk, and this is just not the sort of concert you can talk through. People (like me) will notice. And get annoyed. I question whether Richards is the right venue for this sort of gig - I know it is a bit stodgy, but I would love to have seen this at the Cap College theatre in all it's pin-dropping silence and good acoustic quality. But that's the way life is. Guess you couldn't get all those young 'uns to go somewhere they couldn't drink....

Gonzalez was as good as you could hope - he sounded great, and his guitar playing is fantastic. I liked that they propped everyone up on risers - it gave their presence a little more authority (he's too quiet a guy to demand it). Mutt & Jeff the Sound Guys who I have commented on more than once were having a tough time of it - the backing vocals were inaudible at points, I am guessing due to a bad cable and that is what they kept switching. And it's hard not to notice a guy that looks like Geddy Lee romping around that stark stage with cables in his hand. It happens, and there isn't a lot you can do I guess. But all in all, a very good gig.

So - this was the first night out with the new camera. I have posted a short video and a couple of snaps - in general I am happy with how the camera handled the conditions - really really low lighting, and pretty heavy zoom as I was up on the balcony in the old people seats. I do have a couple of other videos that are darker than this, but they sound good. I may post them later.

Next weekend? Les Savy Fav and Guy Davis. Not on the same bill...though that would be entertaining.
And I still have to master posting videos obviously - the black box below IS a video if you hit the play button beneath. Sigh.

Saturday

I can't stop.
Sorry.
Actually, no I'm not.

It's that time...

Yes, let the crafts begin. This will be my first year with my own tree. At least that is the plan. So, many wee mittens need to be made.

I am actually trying to distract myself writing this as I have a bit of unpleasantness on the horizon this morning...it ends with "...opsy" and it means that something is going to have to go through my skin, and I'm a big chicken about that kind of thing. Skin is there to keep things OUT. And mine would really like to do just that right about now.

I'm living with a ... little person.

Is it just me, or is she looking a little too much like a therapist in this photo? And I don't think it is just the leather chair.

ok, I am losing my mind.

But check out the photo of her sitting with my Mum. What's with that arm..I mean leg? She's a dwarf in a cat suit. I'm sure of it.

In other news, my back is so bad that I am finally going to see a (gasp!!) chiropractor. So bad that I had to call in the handyman (aka my mother) to put the shower curtain rod back up this morning after it fell down during my shower, which makes me feel even more like a gimp. As for the chiropractor, bit scared, but it's either that or cut my back off (or out) at this point, and that would make it REALLY hard to walk. And I'd be even shorter than I am, which really isn't ideal.

*sigh*

And sorry, I will stop the cat posts. Soon. Really.

Obsession...

OK, I have become slightly obsessed by seeing how close a photo I can take of Thomas' head. Not really sure why...I mean, it is a pretty cool looking head, but honestly I think it has something more to do with the macro function of the new camera. Here are a selection of this week's Giganto-Head shots. I love the first one in particular. And for those of you hoping for something on this blog of greater cultural significance...sorry. Soon, I promise. And I should add that I the fact my cat photos focus largely on Thomas not Maggie is strictly a result of him being the easy one to photograph - firstly, because he is a nice, light, even colour so it is EASY - unlike the rolled-in-soot, mottled colour of his sister - and because he actually hangs out with me during the day while Miss Mags sleeps.

Once I master the new camera, you may be forces to look at a whole slew of giant Maggie heads. We shall see.

And yes, I know that my already tiny readership is perilously close to leaving me entirely. I will try to find something else to blog about, really.

The sweetest things...

It was the DOXA silent auction last night. It was a great time, made all that much better by this pillow, strategically won by yours truly, and made by the fantastically talented Beth, who was generous enough to donate two of them for the auction. They were two of the most popular items there, and you can see why. And I wanted them both, but felt greedy so let another anxious bidder win the second. After all, I am already lucky enough to own this one.

Look at that nest. Seriously. I cannot imagine anything more fantastic.

Thom had to give the new addition the sniff test. I think he likes the nest too.

the hood

Went for a walk with the camera. I am posting too much because of this damn camera. Oh well.

Anyway, this blue building impressed me, only for the incredible commitment to a particularly intense blue. Every inch of the place except the front door is blue. A nice blue, if you are a birds egg; maybe not so much if you are a large building like this one.

And lo, across the street is this example of what harm you can do to a house when you slap on some bad siding and ugly slider windows. These two are neighbours - same house, two different ... styles. Yikes.

JanVision™

My parents came over the other day and my Mum very graciously offered to make me a simple curtain for the front door window. I am sure my current solution (two pillow cases taped to the door with painters tape) has been driving her a bit bonkers for ages. Granted, it looked awful. Really. And the tape failed on a regular basis (as you can see it did this morning) which sort of negates the whole purpose of having drapes in the first place. But I have JanVision™ , which is the amazing ability to make offensive things like the pillow-drapes darn near invisible. I find it works quite well on the hole in my kitchen ceiling (which has been there since I moved in, thanks to my special-needs drywaller), the vinyl flooring in the bathroom that floats on the subfloor like a carpet, the green/purple mix kitchen wallpaper - I could go on. My Mum doesn't have JanVision™, which usually works to my advantage in some way, as it did this time. Thanks Mum!

As an aside, the removal of the pillow-curtains meant that Thomas "the Gnarler" was presented with a whole slew of his favorite thing to chew, painters tape. Miss Mags, not impressed with tape, is watching the oncoming storm out the front window. Yes, windy season is back, and I am praying to the power gods that my house is spared this time.

*snap*! ...#2

Is it the mouth? the lack of eyebrows? the nostrils? hmmmm.

Give me a 4...give me a 7....

..and some snout to go.


xoxLUme

*snap* !

OK, I know the cat posts might be getting tiresome. But with the new camera, I just can't STOP.

I sent this completely inspired bit of cat-obsessiveness to a pal, and she once again brought up the fact that she thinks Thomas looks like Peter Lorre (I have to admit, the snap of him peeking around the wall as my blog header does remind me a little bit of Dial M for Murder).

Personally, I just can't see it.

OH NO, NOT THE DEATH RAYS!!!

I'm baaaack...

Phew.

The New York/Montreal/Toronto whirlwind tour is over. I cannot remember feeling as exhausted as I did by the end of that trip - ever. There is something about the quarterly board meeting for work (the New York part this time) that takes every atom of energy I have and handily squashes them into super-logey atoms. It helps when the meetings go well, which I don't really think they did. At least not for me. But - New York was great, busy, sweaty, as usual. I have now been introduced to the "Westin Heavenly Bed", which was made all that much more heavenly by a 40" LCD High Def TV. Ahhh, that's the life. Food at Butter (a Sean-P-Puff-Diddy-Daddy hangout - my main motivation for going, of course....not...) wasn't as great as the room it was served in, and dinner at bouncin' Bobby Flay's Bar Americain was not great. At all.

Montreal isn't worth mentioning as I wasn't there long enough to do anything interesting. Actually, I will give a shout out to Porter Air, the short haul airline based in Montreal. Finally, old style flying, with (complimentary) wine in glasses, truffles, snacks, and stewards in Pink Tartan outfits. And the balls to use a very urban raccoon as their marketing symbol.

So, I worked a couple of days in TO, and hung out for a few more. And before I go on, if you are one of my TO pals and I didn't get in touch, sorry, sorry, sorry. I was too tired, and time was too short. Next time, next time. I spent my first two nights at Rancho Relaxo (aka The Cambridge Suites, the only TO hotel I've found with enough room for me to spread out), followed by a stay with my always unbelievably accommodating friends.

And I had the opportunity to use my new (beloved, oh so beloved) camera - there will be more pics soon, but I've managed to capture a couple of Binettis at breakfast and (yes, you're reading right) Ian Tyson. Not at the same time. And for you naysayers, Tyson rocks. For a 70+ year old, he'd still got it going on, and if I was 60, I'd think he was an incredible hottie. My pal A. was doing sound for him at Hugh's Room, and so I tagged along - we ended up eating with the band (of two, both called Gord) and chatting with Ian as he ate his pork chop, which was actually pretty cool. The chatting, not watching Ian eat pork. I should mention this shot was taken from quite a way back, with no flash, using my camera's zoomerific possibilities. I don't have it all figured out yet, but I'm getting there.


My reaction to being back in TO was interesting. I think maybe it was my zombie like tiredness, but I felt a little more nostalgic for the place than usual. And I was faced with a few things that made me take a good (or bad) look at myself. And with a slightly wry internal laugh, I realize that things I thought had changed over the years just ... haven't. Just call me Quiz-kid, and hand me a towel to wipe the blood from my mouth.

So, I came home. Exhausted and a little ... muddled, and a little sad to leave the big smoke behind. But when I opened the door to a chorus of demanding meows, read the note from my Mum about cat vomit, and sat down for a bit, weirdly the exhaustion started to lift. As did the sadness. But I guess that is what being home is supposed to be about.

And as a complete aside, I cannot help but lose myself in the world of winston. Look if you dare.

Such high culture...

Really just playing with the camera... still lots to learn- like how to talk to the hand.

New camera....

Here it is.
And my New York view....regular, and 10X zoom.

Cooool.

Going dark...

I'm do a whirlwind tour of the east over the next week - New York for three days, Montreal for one, and Toronto for 5. 80% of it is work. I am looking forward to the other 20%.
So - my blogging my go dark for a bit. I do have plans to scope out digital cameras while in the big apple, so there may be better pictures than this in the future....we can hope.

Happy 18th.

To my nephew/sometime gardener/possessor of a most excellent, dry sense of humour...

18?
*sigh*
That makes me how old?
(and yes, it ultimately all about me - and at this moment, that includes the pleasure I get teasing you however pathetically with this post... )

How tired is tired?

It's tired. That's all I'm saying. Except maybe that it is too tired to write good concert reviews, but here goes anyway.

The week started with The Fiery Furnaces, which I stumbled into really more on a whim than anything - I only have one album (the quirky Bitter Tea) but had heard good things about their live act. And I've got to say I'm glad I took the chance. Lead singer Eleanor Friedberger has the cool vibe and looks of Patty Smith/Jenny Lewis if you morphed them together. It's been a long time since I've seen a band fronted by a strong female singer, and the rest of the band was great. And tight. All good, once again. There is another (better, likely less tired) review & a good photo here .

And last night was Akron/Family. Brace yourself for a review of another show that was POORLY ATTENDED. Vancouver, I don't get you - pearls before swine, or gortex, or something. I don't get you at all. The last two Akron shows were well attended. And I know, I know. I've gone on about them before. But they deserve my adoration. They deserve everyone's adoration. And granted, the 150 or so that showed up were loving it. But enough of that...

The band has morphed into something quite different than what I've seen the last couple of years - they are up from 4 member to 7, and one of the original members (Ryan Vanderhoof, singing in the link on my earlier post) was missing. It's unclear if he couldn't make the show or he's gone for good, but I hope it is the former. Anyhoo, to be honest there wasn't much room to miss him, between the two drummers, four guitars and keyboards. I am not sure what configuration I prefer. Both have advantages - certainly having 7 moves it into one of my favorite categories - an overabundance of bodies on the stage - but I like the focus of the 4 man shows as well. I'll stop now or I'll just keep going round and round.

It is hard to really explain an Akron show. Except to say it is all consuming, incredibly energetic and leaves you no space to breathe. At all. One song morphs into another, pretty much nonstop. Sounds move from head slamming discord to delicate soft harmony. It is the sort of thing that warrants interpretive dancing. And incense. And probably a mind altering substance or two. I can confirm that at all three things were there, though I won't confirm that I had anything to do with any of them. And I don't know how the band keeps going full bore for so long. The club shut them down at 1am, after at least 2 hours, and it was obvious they would have kept going. And once again Vancouver, for shame for not showing a great band the love they deserve.

I should also mention the opening act - The Dodos. For the second time, Akron/Family has had a really strong opening act - last year it was the Born Ruffians. Both bands have a similar energy and are worth watching out for. I've posted a Dodos clip above - give it a look and listen.

Bunkle Fall

The 'hood is changing it's spots ... catch it while you can, before monsoon season hits.

There was also a pool of pink vomit on the road that I was tempted to shoot, but I decided it would break the mood.

(Is it just me, or does that sign look like it is telling you to give your hound a good ol' slapping?)

Is that a banana on your feet, or...

Yes, that's right. Bananas. Anyone have a problem with that?

The banana boots were the only purchase verging on the slightly absurd (at least I hope they are the only thing...) during A. and my rape & pillage of the outlet mall in Tulalip on Wednesday. The boots rock. They even have a little buckle at the top. I bought them under the premise of gardening boots, but ooooh they are gonna be so much more.

This whole shopping in the states thing will come bite everyone in the rear eventually, but this is the first time in my life (to my knowledge) that the dollar is in our favour and dammit I'm going to enjoy it, at least once. And those Americans do know how to do the sales. They also know how to post creepy anti-abortion signs & religious instruction radio station call numbers beside the roadways, but that's another story.

All in all, we were bringing a four-figure amount back across the border. And we declared it all (I don't lie well. At least not to people wearing any sort of uniform.) And they waved us through. Huh? Oh well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. And make sure you smile at the customs guy.