What have I been doing?

Um, ya...this....a night with the life changing Flaming Lips. THIS is what a concert should be. Really.



And this....

And to the idiot loud mouth couple sitting behind us - maybe next time you find it necessary to have a two hour conversation, you'll do it at a coffee shop not at a concert? Really...

It's started....

OH I've been such a lazy blogger.  Bad, bad blogger.

But things are looking up, because concert season is starting up!  I can't believe the lineup - Sufjan Stevens, Grinderman (WOOP!), the Flaming Lips, Blonde Redhead, the Books, Blitzen Trapper, the Black Keys...yes, you read it right.  Craziness.  Absolute crazy good luck.  I can't WAIT.

The fall started out with a pleasant outdoor evening with The National - it didn't rain, I was warm enough, and the band didn't disappoint.  Did they blow me away?  No, they didn't...but that's OK,  somehow I didn't expect them to.   Listening to the National is kind of like putting on a well worn, slightly moody looking cardigan - you can be warm and brooding all at once.  I have lots of things ahead that are more likely to blow my rapidly deteriorating mind.  Maybe this year Wayne Coyne will roll over me in his inflatable ball - now THAT would be worth blogging about...

Weekend away...

The Boy and I managed a weekend away on the Sunshine Coast.  It kills me that the summer is almost over, but I count my lucky stars that we managed to get out of the city at least once.  The weather cooperated, the cabin cooperated, the lawnmower didn't, but we found a way around that (and no it didn't involve kitchen scissors.  Or teeth). 

I don't really have much to report in terms of Big Events during the trip - we went to Gibsons, and to Robert's Creek to mingle with the nouveau hippies; we hung out on rocky beaches so The Boy could investigate the tidal pools (ok, ok...I like tidal pools too...).  But maybe it is the lack of big events that made it so good.

There are a number of decent photos - well, at least I think they're good...but I will stick to three that are sort of related, and won't get me into trouble with anyone who may have appeared in said photos.  The first is the point at Robert's Creek, with a couple of tempting benches perched on the very end.  The second, yours truly trying the bench out for size, followed by my view of The Boy from the bench.  I know, not all that exciting.  But for me, it tells a story.  And it's my blog after all.

 Who knows, there maybe another story to tell if I feel so inclined - this one likely involving crabs (the kind you find on the beach).  We shall see.

OK OK I'm still here....

*phew*

I am apparently still being a bit lame arsed when it comes to posting.   Lack of motivation and lack of time, not lack of cool things to post about, trust me.

I am back at home after my month long holiday at Mum's.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around having to do things like cook for myself again - it sure doesn't take long to get completely spoiled.  And why am I back home? BECAUSE MY AWESOME BATHROOM IS DONE!!   My photos are far from awesome really, but they give you an idea.  And if you look back at this you will see how far things have come.  I'm not completely finished yet - I foresee a wall cabinet in the near future, and a few other bits and bobs.  My home away from home at the moment  is (unfortunately) Restoration Hardware...$ka-ching, $ka-ching.  I unfortunately have a soft spot for polished nickel fixtures.

I can't believe what a difference it makes to have a bathroom you actually enjoy being in.  A bathroom with ONE door, not three...and tile, not a poorly laid vinyl nightmare.

And as an aside, this has been proof to me that non-nightmarish contractors DO exist.

As I sit here, there is a plumber in my bathroom replacing my bath's intake pipes with stupidly expensive chrome ones.  My bank account and I are the only ones that will notice, I know - unless of course you hang sideways off my toilet and look behind the tub.  It's the little things....

And in other news, I saw the absolutely phenomenal Joanna Newsom last week.  This video doesn't do the gig justice at all - but it was the best I could do under the high-security situation.   Such a talented performer, supported by an incredibly tight band.  And you've got to love the harp - it is such a physically demanding instrument, and it's just odd enough to completely transfix me. Undoubtedly one of the best concerts I've seen - and thank you Vogue for being such a great venue for quieter acts like this.

And unfortunately I have had to enable comment moderation on this blog...grrr to all you Asian spam sites!  I CURSE YOU!! 

Weekend wrap-up: Horse heads, sock garters and Porta Potties - OH MY

Yes, I'm in a post-Vancouver Folk Music Festival funk.  Well, not a funk, but it is one of my favorite times of the year, and it's over.  Another year of sun, sound, porta potties, hand sanitizer, interpretive dancing, men in skirts, and horse head masks.  OK, the horse head mask was a new thing - but it was an awesome addition - particularly because of the back-pack.  Horses are, after all, pack animals.

I didn't take as many photos, or videos, as I did last year.  But there are a few, and they amuse me enough to post.  The first - the annual shot of me and my forever-partner-in-VFMF, the lovely A - looking considerably more lovely than I do in this photo.  Alas I couldn't scare up my cowboy hat this year...there are contractors in the house and I just couldn't do enough real poking about to find it.  Sad, that.  But things will return to cowboy hatted normalcy in 2011, promise.

There was a new addition (and convert) to the VFMF this year as well - the mysterious man known by some as The Boy.  I've included this shot because it wraps up so many aspects of VFMF - the beautiful sun, green trees, and porta potties.  I'm assuming the one he just came out of wasn't too horrendous, or he wouldn't be smiling...though that smile doesn't look completely convincing, likely because he's extra special pleased with me for taking a photo of him exiting the porta potty.  But I'm too nice to post that one.  Note the natty new lid - a rare find from one of the vendors on site.

Also available from one of the vendors: the Man Skirt.  Not a mundane man-skirt, a full on, multi-tiered satin number.  Our model hear sports his skirt with a pair of fetching sock-garters.  Lovely.  FYI he wore a pink and red skirt the next day.








Now - you might be wondering about the music - which, really, is the point of the whole thing.  I probably didn't see as many artists as I have some years, but I certainly saw enough to keep me happy.  I only took one video (yes, only one) this year - The Deep Dark Woods.  It was a bit of a random choice, though they were one of the bands I liked most this year.
 

They performed right before what seemed to be the big draw of the day - The Malahat Review, a roving band of Vancouver musicians (Said the Whale, Jeremy Fisher, Hannah Georgas and Aidan Knight).  Second song in, the audience of excited youngsters (ok, some excited oldsters as well) jumped to their feet to dance.  I did not, and neither did The Boy.  We just sat, listened, and watched the amazing (but not necessarily in a good way...) view.  I suspect that is actually a slight shine of panic in his eye...

Now the musical stunner for me this year was Luluc, an Australian duo.  I was too transfixed to film them unfortunately.  Singer Zoe Randell's unique, sweetly somber alto really grabbed me, as did her lyrically lovely songwriting.  I've included a video below just so you can get a taste.

There may be more to post on the fest later.  And, I may also post a bit on the New Pornographer's gig if I find the energy....

See, I'm doing what I promised...

...and not waiting a month to blog again.  That's because I have something to blog about - an extended, wine-laden weekend in BC's desert country, Osoyoos, with two of my favorite partners in crime.

We splurged and stayed at Spirit Ridge  - gorgeous, gorgeous.  The slightly crap photo I've posted is the view from our balcony, out over the NK'MIP vineyards.  Why is the photo crap? Because I couldn't find my camera so had to use my Blackberry.  (I'm hoping my camera wielding pal A will let me post some of her inevitably awesome photos when she downloads them). 

We had a great trip - 35C temperatures, an air conditioned car, and many, many winery moments, followed by tasty meals and lazy nights by the pool and beds so high you had to climb into them - who could complain?  Not me, that's for sure. 

A few favorites: Silver Sage (ooooh those fruit dessert wines!!!), Tinhorn Creek (that view! that Cab Franc!!),  and Stoneboat (lovely bright tasting room with some really nice whites).  One to avoid, despite the great graphics - Road 13.  Such lovely staff, such blah wine.  But what I can recommend is taking the time to get away with a dear friends for some luxury and laughs.

And I came home to find THIS - yes, my new, gorgeous, bathroom floor...whoop whoop!  One more reason to break open one of the many bottles that made the trip back home with me...

No I haven't disappeared...but I'm not home either!

I can't believe it has been a month (augh!) since I have posted - to the two people in the universe who bother checking in to see if I've posted, I'm sorry for being a lazy-arse.

The good news is that finally I do have something to post about!  My bathroom renos are finally (FINALLY) starting - I think I purchased the new vanity about a year ago so that tells you how long I've been waiting - and I enclose a "before" shot that hopefully captures the truly horrendous vanity and the awful vinyl flooring (though the awfulness really doesn't show well in this photo - bear in mind the flooring doesn't actually go right to the wall in all places and is more like a badly laid plastic carpet than anything.  And it doesn't show the giant light-laden disco mirror.)

So, I moved to Mum's on Tuesday with the beasts, because bathroom renos mean no bathroom at home for, oh, three weeks.  The cats weren't all that impressed with things, and I think they are likely still not all that thrilled with their change of situation, but they are adjusting.  The first night I slept with Maggie curled up beside my head, and Thom just below her at my shoulder.  Not our usual sleeping pattern to say the least - firstly the two of them rarely occupy the same piece of furniture let alone sleep within inches of each other, and if they do sleep on the bed it is by my feet.  Either they found being by my head somewhat comforting, or they were preparing to lie on my face and steal my breath.  Looking at Maggie sometimes I fear the second option was really the plan, but she likely fell asleep and forgot.

So - right now, my bathroom has NO floor (you can see through to the basement), the drywall with the tiles has been cut out, and two of the three doors into the bathroom have been framed in ready for drywall.  So far so good with the contractors - they have been extremely tidy about things and all seems to be going according to plan. 

And I will try and be a better poster this month.  Promise. 

Little Lion Man...Mumford & Sons

I'm honestly waaaaay too tired to say anything worthwhile about this gig - other than the band were great, and venue left me a little bit cold (and frustrated).  The sound on this video isn't great, but then again, the sound in the club - the Richards substitute "club 560" wasn't either...and the camera was wedged behind a sheet of glass, so it didn't have much hope.  But lest you think I am complaining - the band were really great.  A treat for sure.
 

It's been a while...

I'm baaaaack.

Well, sort of.  I think.

I haven't been compelled to post recently.  Partly, there has been too little to say, partly, there has been too much.  I have been preoccupied to say the least for the last few weeks.  By what? By the recipient of our little hat wearing friend to the left.  It was his birthday Friday, a week (almost) after my own.  

And I will break my own rule about not revealing too much personal stuff in this blog, just this once.  The birthday boy is a relatively new addition to my life.  I knew when I met him, sometime between the girl-fight and the Bollywood film set, that something was likely going to happen.   And happen it has.  And it has surprised me, thrilled me, and thrown me into fits of complete and utter panic.  It has made me realize that I haven't really dealt with all the crap I thought I had neatly tied up and discarded.  It has made me realize how hard it is for me to TRULY be in the moment, and not always judging, weighing, assessing, projecting. Worrying.  It has reminded me of the weight and responsibility of holding someone's trust and affection, and the joy of finding someone worthy of doing the same for me.

It is completely and utterly terrifying.  And incredibly, indescribably wonderful.

And that is about all I will say for now.  Except that he is quite unlike anyone I've met before.   And I'm so very, very lucky.

Back to our regular impersonal programming next time ;)

Tulips.

Is there anything prettier?

I think not.

Unless of course it is a Thomas/tulip combo.

DOXA time!

Well, it's that time of year - the DOXA Documentary Film Festival is upon us in less than a week.  My picks so far this year range from a look at Vancouver's punk past, to the "sexual dysfunction" industry, to the fate of pets separated from their owners by hurricane Katrina.  Oh, and there's some yodeling in there as well.

My current list (more may be added...)

Hope to see you there!

Terra Madre

Mine 

Topp Twins 

No Fun City 

The Erectionman 

Orgasm Inc 

Bloodied but Unbowed 

A Mountain Musical 

Small Wonders 

Anatomy: Muscle Skin Heart  

Neurotic and Lonely....Gabriel Kahane

I had the pleasure of seeing quirky American composer/singer songwriter Gabriel Kahane last week at Heritage Hall as part of Dave Pay's great Music on Main series.  I hadn't heard of him before, but a friend asked me to go and a little research revealed that he has worked with Sufjan Stevens and a few other notables, so I figured heck, why not?  What an unexpected treat.  The audience sat around the centrally placed Kahane - along with his baby grand, and his accompanist Rob Moose (described by Kahane as his "nemeru" - part nemesis, part guru) - and he had us in the palm of his hand the whole time. His work is a bit hard to describe - there are classical influences mixed with opera, quirky pop - but whatever it is, it worked really well.

Highlight for me was his performance of CraigslistLieder, an 8 part song cycle with lyrics taken directly from Craigslist -  oh lord, so very funny.  And slightly sad.  You can download the whole thing for free, or just listen, here.  For those that care, my favorite is the last part of the cycle, Opera Scene, an ad placed by a guy looking for a roommate that can put up with his compulsion to put ice cubes down people's shirts.  The clip above is the only thing I could find online that had decent sound quality -  "Neurotic and Lonely" - a personal ad that you really have to listen to to appreciate.

And speaking of neurotic and lonely (ok, not quite but it was a good segue) - life is challenging me in some interesting ways this week.  I think it's good...but heck it's challenging.  I've had a bit of a rude awakening that my cool calm together self is really only that way when it's not faced with things that threaten that stability.  So, I will try to breathe.  And not panic.  And not self-sabotage.  And not run. And maybe, just maybe, in the coming weeks I will actually tell you what the heck I'm talking about...or not ;)

Jónsi ...

Just a quick post to memorialize the fantastic Jónsi concert the other night. The one-eyed, angel-voiced singer of Sigur Ros started his tour in Vancouver this week - and what a fantastic show. The video is shot by my brother & his new camera, which does a much better job of handling crappy lighting than mine does. Pay attention to the amazing set design. Flying birds, loping dear, running wolves, flaming sets - spectacular.

In other great news, Joanna Newsom is coming to the Vogue in August - front row balcony seats already procured! CANNOT WAIT!!

Friday - A story of Luff and Hate

This is a picture of how my day started.  No, I'm not preparing to operate, I'm preparing to finish off the incredibly annoying job of stripping paint from my f&^%ing bathroom window...all so I can paint it again.  There was so much paint (cracking, peeling paint) that it really had to be done before the full bathroom reno is done.  The hazmat gear is to protect me from potential lead in the paint.  Wish I'd thought of that before I spent hours stripping it previously...sigh.  Still, it is as done now as it will be.  Next step: primer.

What made it all worthwhile was knowing that I had a guaranteed evening of fun ahead, with my own true cultural luff, Brent (*dramatic swoon*) Bambury - and the annual Vancouver taping of CBC radio's GO!

So much fun. 

And dare I say it one more time -  look at those pipes!  All he needs is a Lycra suit and cape, and Brent would be as close to a Canadian Superhero as you could possibly want.

He was joined on stage with another CBC hottie, Ian HandsomeManThing.

I feel like a broken record harping on about how much I love CBC radio.  It is such an incredible treat to get to participate in that rarest of rarities, a live radio show, and so much fun to watch people that are obviously having fun.  It was the Western finals of the GO!'s Canada Writes contest, and the contestants and judges (including John Mann from Spirit of the West, another personal fave of mine) were all brilliant.  Listen for yourself here - you can hear me and my pals cheering from the second row if you listen carefully enough.

Topping it all off? Dinner out to celebrate the birthday of the lovely A, fellow Brent lover and GO! fanatic.  You couldn't ask for a better Friday night.

All hail Noah Baumbach

I went to see Noah Baumbach's new film, Greenberg, with some pals last night.  I'm a big fan of The Squid and the Whale (well, more like amazed and horrified upon realizing I actually dated the doppelganger of Jeff Daniels character *shudder*), and quite liked Margot at the Wedding, so I went with high hopes for his usual brand of slightly painful humour and cast of not all that likable,  definitely damaged, but infinitely true and recognizable  characters.  I wasn't disappointed. 

Greenberg (played fantastically by Ben Stiller) is a generally unlikable, neurotic 40 year old, uncomfortable in his aging skin, and frustrated with the imperfections he sees - constantly - in the world around him.  Florence, the 25 year old he strikes up a truly awkward (and at times ugly) relationship with, is lovely and kind hearted, but her passivity makes her a somewhat complicit victim to the weirdness that is Greenberg.  What I love about Baumbach is that he stays with these characters throughout the story arc, small though it may be - they don't change, there is no big transformation or resolution.  It's awkward, painful, funny.  Some people will hate it, but I think it's brilliant.

I know I have been blogging strictly about stuff I've seen recently, and not stuff that is going on with me.  There is stuff, most of it is good, and I'm busy, but for some reason, I just don't feel like writing about it all just yet.  Maybe soon.

Just a place holder....

It's been another crazy busy (generally in a good way) week.  I'm too tired, and not motivated enough, to write about anything in detail - BUT - here are the highlights for those who care:

• Nixon in China (clip above) - a randy Kissinger and twist-dancing Nixon, anyone? Very, very cool.
• Balkan Beat Box - time to put your hands in the air....
• HIVE3 - already counting the days to the next HIVE - the lovely Sugarlove (aka the better half of my brain) talks about it here, so I'm going to be lazy and just link to her blog.  What I will say is that at one point I felt like I was dying, and it was really, really cool...
• SPINE - some great ideas in a play that could have done with some serious editing...that being said, I want the Isis outfit...
• Cobre - for a dear pal's bday celebration ...YUM. and more YUM...followed by the agonizing ache of an overstuffed stomach.

Connecting all of these events? Friends and family that share my wacky interests and are willing to join me for the ride.  And that's the best part of all.

Bring on the toe suckers...

My brains seems to want to be challenged more than it usually does these days - if I run across something that I know has a high likelihood of eliciting a WTF?! in my brain, I want to be there.  So, welcome to my night with Compagnie Marie Chouinard.

The language of dance is not something I have at my fingertips (or anywhere else in my body); that being said, we are all able to read meaning into movement to some extent, because we do it every day to help us survive in the world.  Chouinard's interest in this piece has to do with the relationship of intelligence and body .  Does her explanation make my head hurt? Yes, a little bit - but that's what I love about it.

Watching the piece, my brain was happily enjoying its fair share of  WTF?! moments.  And I have to give props to dancers who are willing to suck each other's toes, and stick their tongues to the floor...and perhaps most disturbing, dance while wearing Stephen Harper masks.

Thank you, Marie Chouinard.

Some good news this way comes....

I have mentioned Mumford & Sons on this blog before.  This week saw two bits of Mumford related news - first, the release of their CD Sigh No More (which is both great and inexpensive at $7.99), and the news that they will be playing Vancouver at the mysterious "Five Sixty," which is what the old A&B Sound space at 560 Seymour has now been branded.  I look forward to seeing how successful a live venue it is - I doubt it can live up to its predecessor, Richards on Richards, but I would love to be proven wrong.

I challenge you not to be charmed by Marcus Mumford's moppish hair and their sweet harmonies.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man

I briefly mentioned the documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man a couple of years back, after seeing it a VIFF; I picked it up on DVD last week (along with the Scott 3 CD which I am loving), and I've got to say, it deserves a second mention.  The film covers Walker's career path from idolized pop star to fairly reclusive avant garde musician/composer, interspersed with really interesting interviews with musicians about the influence of Scott's work, and fascinating interviews with the man himself.  

What got to me this time were two of the extras - the first, an extended interview with Brian Eno.  Eno's amazing musical brain is not news to me, but I was still left shaking my head in wonder at his ability to so clearly articulate some fairly difficult musical ideas, and his ability to so accurately pinpoint what makes Scott's music unique.  Eno speaks with the confidence of someone who is comfortable with his lofty position in the pantheon of musical gods - he's great at what he does, he's comfortable, he has nothing to prove. 

Not so much with the second extra - an extended interview with Scott.  What slays me about this interview is how revealing it is - every question is treated with complete openness and honesty, and the picture you end up with is of a man who is at once very precise and sure of his musical ideas, and utterly terrified that they won't work out; someone who understands that he is on the musical margins, but is somewhat pained by the isolation of that position; someone who blames himself for any perceived misstep his career has made, and not the record company's creative shackles.  You look at his eyes and see the pain of living with his creative, tormented brain.  Unlike Eno "comfortable" is never a word that comes to mind.  Scott has no choice but to do what he does, but it doesn't mean that he finds it easy. 

Not much else to say really - except rent it.

It's almost too much

It's been quite a week...though my feelings about the Olympics are mixed to say the least, one thing I will say is that t has allowed for a fantastic convergence of remarkable artistic talent in our fair city (and with this sunshine, it is more than fair, it's fantastic).  This week's entertainment?:


Tuesday: New Songs/New Voices - which featured 4 singer/songwriters from across the country (Meaghan Blanchard, Romi Mayes, Jason Plumb and Dan Mangan); excellent show, and gorgeous sound at the Roundhouse.  I'm hoping they will continue to present music there - so few small QUIET venues in Vancouver.  And, being the hometown boy, Dan brought the house down, but I also really enjoyed Meaghan Blanchard and Romi Mayes.

Wednesday: Delusion, the new performance piece by Laurie Anderson.  The highlight of the week for me, for sure.  It's a bit hard to explain her amazing twining together of story, music, visuals, but it was astounding and completely transfixing.  One of those things I just feel very lucky to have had a chance to see.  As an aside, the slightly curmudgeonly and surprisingly tiny Lou Reed was sitting in front of us, which was kind of cool.  When we left the venue he was busy reaming out a technical person for the misplacement of one of the lights on the stage, so his cranky legend lives on.


Thursday: Hal Wallner's Neil Young Project - a Neil Young tribute that brought together a huge whack of diverse musicians (Broken Social Scene, Sun Kil Moon, Joan as Policewoman, Eric Mingus, Teddy Thompson, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Emily Haines to name a few).  Overall a very enjoyable, if uneven, night.  They couldn't quite get the energy in the place just right, but when the performances worked, they were fantastic. Below is the only clip I took, and unfortunately it was one of the low points for me of the night - Kevin Drew and gang do their best to close the night off, but the energy wasn't there.



Friday: The Blue Dragon, by Robert Lepage (oh how I love thee RL!) - for the second time.  As always, an amazing production.  I didn't find it as powerful as the two solo works of his that I have seen, but I'm starting to realize that there is a resonance that a one person play can have - at least for me -  that can't really be touched by ensemble work.  Great to see it twice, and to notice how he had modified the work over time.  Also had the good luck to listen to a Q&A with the cast; Lepage is a wonderfully open guy, great to hear him speak about his process.

It has been a GREAT week.  Sorry about the brief, not all that insightful post, but I just had to get it down on paper...I mean, on computer...