I escaped, but I'm back now...

I know I have been AWOL for a while now, but it was a difficult end of year, and it's taken me some time to feel like posting again.  But here I am, strapping the blogging wheels back on again...

Back from a self-made long weekend with the Boy at Harrison Hot Springs.  We were both feeling the need to recoup from the holidays, and we decided to get away as a bit of a mutual Christmas present.  Harrison seemed to fit the bill because it is an easy drive, but is still far enough away to feel...well...away.  Anyhow -  this is where we stayed, and I can say nothing but good things about it. 

Now, there isn't much to do in Harrison - except soak in the hot springs (but the public hot spring is cooled to 38C, making it Harrison Tepid Springs, which isn't that appealing) or go for a hike or to the (windy) beach - so check your expectations for excitement at the door.  That being said, if you want to find somewhere to go where you can hole up in your own cozy cottage, play board games, drink wine, and soak in a tub that is big enough for a family of four, it is worth going to Harrison just to stay at one of the wee riverside cottages.  Not to say we didn't get out for a walk, but the weather was misty and windy (read: rain and gale force wind) much of the time - and that was just fine.  It just felt good to be away from it all and be left to our own devices.  And to have time to discover a new found passion.

A couple more comments about the accommodation - we were left alone (completely and utterly undisturbed! yay!) the entire time, though the couple running the place were extremely gracious and helpful.   I look forward to coming back in spring when the trees are leafy and the weather is warm enough to sit out on the porch and gaze at the river.

Do we look like dissatisfied customers?  I think not.  Do we look like a couple of green-eyed crazy people?  Perhaps.  But that's not such a bad thing to be.

Time ticks on...

I am off work until the new year - thank goodness, as I have done a big fat zero in terms of xmas shopping/prep  - well, except decorating a rather lovely Charlie Brown style Christmas tree with the Boy (pictures to come at some point!).  For me, it was really nice to share that task with someone special, and we had some laughs (thanks in part to heavily rummed eggnog), and I had a few teary moments looking at the wooden reindeer ornaments Thom decapitated last year.  He did love the Christmas tree - he would wander closely by, letting an ornament touch his tail so he could turn around, surprised, and bat it to submission.  Wooden reindeer were placed low on the tree as they are the most bat-resistant.  Well, except for their weak, easily decapitated necks - Thomas' only successful prey kill I might add.

It is early days, and I still miss him like mad.  The funny thing is watching the changes in Miss Mags - she is suddenly around me all the time, no longer going to the pillow she usually slept on in the basement to spend her lazy days, instead choosing to snooze on the upstairs couch where she can keep an eye on me...or be closer to her food dish, who knows.  But it is obviously a big change for both of us.  What I find interesting is that her behavioural changes only happened after Thom was put down - there were three nights he spent in hospital prior to that event that didn't seem to phase her, it was only after he came home for the night, and she recognized that there was something wrong (she was completely freaked out, walking in super-slow motion even when he wasn't in the room with her), that her behaviour changed.  Cats may seem aloof, but they are weirdly perceptive at the same time, or so it seems to me.  Anyway, we will see how Maggie does on her own - if she seems happy, we will remain a one cat situation, but if she seems out of sorts I may look into bringing another handsome young four footed man into the house.

But enough of that for now.

In other news, we went to see The Books a week and a bit ago - what a great concert, they are always a joy live - the quirky videos that accompany their (excellent!) playing really adds to the whole experience.  My brother managed some great stealth videos - here is a taste (note - I am testing out making the video smaller so my stupid blog format doesn't cut off the right hand side!):

My heart is chipped.

 When I got dressed this morning, I went to put on one of my favorite necklaces, an enamel heart, and noticed that it was chipped.  I wore it anyway.  It sums today up. 

I debated whether to write anything today or not.  I hate the idea of seeming overly dramatic or maudlin or histrionic, and my logical self is telling me to wait til I am a bit more settled, but the other part is telling me to write while it is all on the surface. That part obviously won out.

Yesterday Thom's biopsy results came back, and they unfortunately proved to be pretty much the worst they could be.  His liver was so bad that if he were a human, he'd be on the transplant list...there were few liver cells still functioning, he was borderline anemic/in need of transfusion,  and was having a problem maintaining his fluid balance (read: fluid collecting in his abdomen).  The vet made it clear that there was nothing we can do to make him "better" - there are some medications that could be given that might prolong things for a few days or weeks, but really that is as good as we could hope.  So the Boy and I picked him up yesterday, and brought him home for the night, and I am glad we did - he hated the hospital sooo much (he is way too nervous for that kind of place), and at least he had one quiet night.  This morning he hopped on the bed and came up to my head, and we cuddled for a good long time.  It was good to hear him purr and see him relax after seeing him so distressed in the hospital for the last few days.  But it is my duty as his human to make decisions about his well being (his well being vs my own desire not to let him go, which is one of those truly awful balancing acts), and so he was put down today - age 10 years, three months.   It was as peaceful a passing as any of us can hope for.

I know everyone thinks their cat is amazing, but Thom really was.  I had decided to get a British Shorthair because I liked their looks, but more importantly I liked how they were described - sturdy, quiet, low key cats that wanted to be with you, but not necessarily ON you.  He was a classic example of the breed both in looks and temperament. When I first saw him as a kitten, he was unbelievably cute, but he was so shy that he squeezed his body between the cushions of the couch to hide, and hissed when I tried to pick him up.  I actually wondered if I should take him based on that reaction - I worried that the hissing was a sign of things to come - but I braved it, and home he came, along with his "sister" (actually his niece if you look at the family tree, but who looks at family trees?) Maggie.  What I ended up with was honestly the sweetest natured, gentlest cat you could hope for - he never scratched or lashed out at me, or the vet, or anyone, no matter how scared he was or what indignity he was being subjected to (the polar opposite to his very lovable but generally imperious and slightly indignant sister).   Add that to his incredible handsomeness (in a slightly alien handsome way), a purr so loud and hard it would almost choke him, and his general sociability and you had one truly remarkable boy.  If anyone wants to see more of his handsome self, just click on the "cats" link (or the *snap* link!) to the side of this blog and be amazed that a creature that looked like Thom could even exist (I should add, he was a camera whore - as soon as he saw the camera, he would start rolling around and posing).

I can't express how much I will miss him - and I know I am not the only one - the Boy, and Thom's "Grandcat" will both miss him dearly I know.  Unfortunately when you sign on to the joy that is having a pet in your life, you also sign on to the inevitable sorrow of saying goodbye.  But as for me, despite the buckets of tears I seem to have shed over the last 24 hours, I just feel really lucky to have had such a remarkable, lovely beast in my life, even if it was for much too short a time.  

So, it is just Miss Mags and me now - not that she isn't a large presence in the house (physically and in every other possible way).  I think we will both be missing those giant orange eyes for quite a while to come.

Grinderman, and just...the grind.

Well, first the good news - the Grinderman concert on Friday night was truly awesome. Nick Cave has long been an idol of mine - I have seen him discussing film live, but I have never seen him play - so this was really a thrill. With his towering, elongated form and inky mop of receding hair, Nick Cave is rock-frontman Goddery (is that a word? If not, it should be). Rock multi-instrumentalist Goddery is found in the hairy, troll-like form of Warren Ellis - I didn't think it would be possible for someone to pull my attention away from Nick Cave, but lo and behold, Ellis' sometimes cavorting, sometimes writhing craziness was absolutely transfixing. It was all just...great. My brother took a whack of good video - a taster below:



Less great is the news on Thomas.  Long story short, he isn't really getting better, and the only way to determine what the issue is, is to do a biopsy.  Which sounds simple, but is actually pretty significant surgery, with a significant price attached.  Once again, thank god for insurance, and thank double god that my policy renews December 1st, which means I have more money available for this illness starting soon.  In my long discussion with the internist today we discussed the possibilities: polycystic liver disease (no treatment really); hepatitis (manageable with meds); cancer (you know the story there).  So, no good news, it is really just differing levels of bad.   That being said, I do feel a need to know what "bad" I am dealing with, so I will put him through the surgery for the biopsy, and keep my fingers crossed that insurance will come through for me on this one.   Bleh.

Bring out the dayglo tape....

I really think I was meant to be a backup dancer.

$1100 and counting....

Well, you might ask what this photo is of.  On the right, the end of my lovely new hand blender.  On the left, the tail end of a pureed batch of venison and rice cat food, into which is stuck the giant syringe that will be used to force feed Thomas with.

Are we having fun yet?

Thom is suffering from fatty liver disease at the moment.  And no, he wasn't overweight.  But he did get fussy about his food, and eventually pretty much stopped eating.  He is a very sick boy, and the only way to try to get him through this is to force him to eat sufficient calories to get his system back in line.  Hence, the giant syringe.

I should add that before I found the giant syringe, I was using needle syringes, and they would block up with food, be hard to fill, and I would end up with pureed venison up my arms, on my legs, on the floor...so nice.  Part of me feels like I am gavaging in order to make Thom Liver Pate, but please know that isn't the case.

As for the $1100 - once again, I am happy to have insurance, because this ain't over yet!!

Yes, I'm still here...

...just not very talkative I guess?  I had a fantasy that I was going to write a detailed blog post after seeing the Sufjan Stevens concert that happened a couple of weeks ago...but I didn't.  Why not? BECAUSE I DIDN'T GO.  Why didn't I go you might ask?  BECAUSE I GOT SO F%#KING SICK I COULDN'T.  Yes, on the day of the concert I came down with a flu - the real deal, complete with temperature of 101F (sorry, sickness happens in Imperial for me), shakes, splitting headache, and racking cough.  So sick that I actually realized I couldn't go, heartbreaking though that was.  Making it all a bit less painful were the impressive nursing skills of The Boy, and the videoing bravado of my brother, who attempted to bring at least some of the concert to me.


Other than that, said-video-creating-frere had a milestone birthday (happy 70th!!), and I have taken the big plunge and invested in (drum roll please) SNOW TIRES.  Yes, after having a car in Toronto and not getting snows, and living here and not getting snows, my spidey senses are telling me it is time.

And that is about it.  For now. 

This feels weird, but...

...I am using part of my lunch break at work to blog. Purely out of guilt I might add - not that I really believe anyone cares if I keep up with this or not - it's strictly self imposed guilt.

What have I been up to? Another good concert (clip included below thanks to my brother and his schwingy new camera), a modern Canadian opera, VIFF, and a nasty stinking cold.





VIFF was generally pretty good this year - a few highlights for me:

Waste Land - a lovely documentary featuring some truly amazing people - it has been picked up for release and I would highly recommend you make the effort. It won the People's Choice at VIFF fyi.




And another lovely film by Mike Leigh - Another Year. Really, really enjoyed this - a lovely quiet look at relationships, in characteristic Leigh style



There are more - Down Terrace, an excellent dark comedy about a British family with criminal ties; and Me, Too - a really lovely and eye opening film about the relationship between a man with Down's Syndrome and his coworker - are the other two of real note for me this year.

Other than that...hmmm...I have finally found some cat food that the perpetually fussy Thomas seems interested in eating.  Now THAT is news! Aren't you glad I bothered posting?

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 ;)