The end.

So, uh, yeah. Not much blog posting going on over here. I've come to the realization that it's time to put this baby to bed. I want to keep blogging, but I've been struggling with the current rendition. I don't like the way it looks or feels anymore. I need to start over.

So I'm going to.

It will take me a bit of time to get set up again, but when I do, I will link to the new blog here. In the meantime, a huge thank you to all of you who have read and/or commented.

I'll be back soon...

photo Friday

A few pics from my cousin's wedding on Wednesday at Cave Spring Vineyard in Beamsville, Ontario. It was a gorgeous day.

vacation all I ever wanted

Music Tuesdays is preempted this week. It's been crazy busy here and I'm just not feeling it tonight. But I still wanted to post so here goes.

This past weekend was the Labour Day long weekend. We had plans to go up to the cottage. We didn't. The weather was likely perfect since it was beautiful here at home so that wasn't the reason. We just needed some time to chill. This trip to the cottage would have been an all work and no play one. So we've just put it off for a month or so. But since Steve had already booked Friday off work, we found ourselves with a four day weekend. Sweet!

We didn't do a lot. I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish and almost nothing got checked off. But that's okay. Steve spent a lot of time with Alex, taking the bulk of the parenting duties off my shoulders. It was a nice break for both of us. He got to spend time with the little dude and I had time to do other things without having to worry about Alex. And since Steve will be leaving for Indonesia and Japan on Friday and will be away for 10 days, it was nice to have a bit of a parenting break, since it will be just me for a little while.

We did get out of the house. We met our friends Colin & Leslie and their kids at Canada's Largest Ribfest here in lovely Burlington, Ontario. It was crazy busy but we enjoyed some yummy food and got to hang out friends that we don't see nearly enough.

Yup. That's a lot of people.


The Boss, hard at work.



mmm...

Tomorrow is my cousin Janet's wedding. I better go rest up.

photo Friday

I can't believe a week has gone by since I last posted. It's been that kind of week. There will be some catching up this weekend. In the meantime, a photo from a recent trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens.


Click to enlarge and spot something hiding amidst the blossoms.

photo Friday

Mama robin tending to her eggs in the maple tree in our front yard. Taken earlier this summer.

music Tuesdays - David Ford

David Ford - Songs For The Road

I cannot remember how exactly I came across David Ford, but I do remember that it was this video that first introduced me to him.



So I downloaded the album and I really like it. I think we are all aware by now that I love great lyrics. Thoughtful lyrics. And this album is full of them. As you listen, you feel like you are in a pub listening to him perform his songs live about 5 feet away from you. Like he's pouring out his soul while you down pints of Kilkenny. (mmm...Kilkenny...)

If you had to stick David Ford into a genre, I guess it would be pop. But he incorporates folk, gospel, rock, and all sorts of other elements into his music. Definitely worth a listen if you are into the singer-songwriter vibe.

photo Friday

smoke gets in your eyes

I ordered a pair of concert tickets the other day. Skydiggers at the Studio Theatre at Hamilton Place. Should be a great show. Small venue, excellent band. I am very excited. And at $27.50 a ticket, a great deal!


So the tickets arrived the other day and I just about fell over when I saw the receipt. $75.25 for two tickets. At $27.50 per ticket, how does the total end up being so high? Well here's a little lesson in math according to our good friends at Ticketmaster.

Face Value of tickets: $55.00
Facility Fees: $4.oo ($2/ticket)
Convenience Charges: $13.00 ($6.50/ticket)
Order Processing Fee: $3.25

I can understand the Order Processing Fee and the Facility Fee to a certain extent. But why am I paying $13.00 in Convenience Charges? What exactly is a Convenience Charge? Whose convenience are they talking about? Certainly not mine, I just paid $13.00 for no apparent reason!

Here is Ticketmaster's explanation, taken directly from their website:

Convenience Charge This fee covers costs that allow Ticketmaster to provide the widest range of available tickets while giving you multiple ways to purchase. Tickets are available in many neighbourhoods via local Retail Outlets, our telephone reservation system and Ticketmaster.ca. Tickets can be purchased through at least one distribution channel virtually 24 hours a day. The convenience charge varies by event and is determined by negotiations with arena operators, promoters and others based on costs for each event.

Is the convenience charge always the same no matter where I buy my tickets? The convenience charge may vary depending upon where you purchase the tickets. A convenience charge may or may not be applied when you purchase tickets at the venue box office. A convenience charge is applied when you purchase from the Internet, phone or retail outlet (e.g., at your local department store) and this charge may vary depending upon Ticketmaster's local agreements with its venue, promoter and outlet partners.

In other words, blah, blah, blah. This is the biggest load of bull shit I have ever heard. Shouldn't the order processing fee cover all of this stuff? And you can bet that the artist does not see a dime of this money. I understand that it is a business and everyone needs to make money, but something just seems very wrong about all this. I'll still go to the show and I am sure I will love it and will forget all about the extra fees. But it pisses me off when I think about how much of my hard earned dollars have gone to these crazy charges.

music Tuesdays - Bryan Adams

This week, I am straying from the usual format to bring you a concert review.

Bryan Adams - Thursday, August 13, 2009 - Massey Hall - Toronto, Ontario

When I found out that Bryan Adams was doing an acoustic show I knew I had to go. Now for those of you who mock me for being a fan, here's a little background on myself. I'm Canadian. My formative years were in the 1980's. I realize that not everyone fitting this description was a fan but given the man's record sales, most people were. I can't say that I own all of his recordings, he did lose me for a few years, but I did purchase his three most recent and they are really good. His music has matured, naturally since he is turning 50 this year. You can't expect the guy to keep writing songs like Kids Wanna Rock forever.

Let's get back on track. The concert. Including encores he played solidly for 2.5 hours. Some of the time it was just him but for about half of the show he was joined on piano by a really great player who's name I did not catch. (Sorry.) The set was a good representation of his career from Cuts Like A Knife onward. It was really interesting to hear the songs in a stripped down format. It really showed that Adams is indeed a triple threat: singer, guitarist, songwriter. He nailed all three all night, even though he did screw up his own lyrics a number of times. One of the highlights was when long time collaborator Jim Vallance joined him on stage to play keys on The Best is Yet To Come. And I have to admit that I did get a little choked up when he performed Summer of '69. Like I said before, his music was a huge part of my formative years. I am really, really, really glad that we went to this concert. Definitely one of the better concerts I have seen in my concert-going lifetime.

Even though the ushers were being really militant about cameras, I did get some decent pics. We didn't have the best seats, but we may have had the most uncomfortable ones. (We were up in the gallery, in the narrow wooden seats. Ugh.) I did manage to sneak in a little bit of video. Here's about half of Somebody.

photo Friday

these shoes rule...

While I was pregnant, many women would look at my huge, puffy, swollen feet and tell me that I would likely end up wearing a larger shoe after the baby was born. They were right and I have finally come to terms with it. As I sadly begin to purge my closet of what is now a pile of size 8's that are way too tight, I look forward to the future filled with lovely size 9's.

Hooray for shoe shopping!

Since the summer is nearing completion and I won't be able to wear flip flops for much longer, I went shoe shopping yesterday. I drove to Mississauga specifically to go to the Crocs store. Now before you start riding my ass about my love of Crocs, hear this. Crocs got me through my pregnancy and c-section recovery. When my feet swelled to what seemed like double their size, my trusty Crocs were the only thing I could put on. I wore them until the snow got so deep that I had to pull out a worn out pair of hiking boots that were stretched out from too much wear. I could barely lace those puppies up. But the Crocs went on with relative ease. Even though I would end up with circular indentations on the tops of my feet by the end of each day, with them I was able to walk. Anyway, I went to the Crocs store specifically for these.


I saw a friend with a white version of these a couple of weeks ago. I knew I had to have them.

In the same neighbourhood as the Crocs store, is Stylesense. I hadn't heard of this store until my friend Kim mentioned that they carried a lot of hootchie-mama shoes. True, most of their shoes seemed to be designed by people who think that women prefer to dress like tramps. But once I waded through the gladiator sandals and 6 inch heels, I did manage to find these lovely Hush Puppies.


And these excellent Merrell's.


Oddly enough, both pairs are brown. I am very much a black shoe girl. And a black clothing girl. I guess I'll have to start adding some brown to my wardrobe, you know, to match the shoes.
Or I'll need to buy more shoes. Whichever works.

join together

I've wanted for a while to join a club. A yarn club. In the knitting world, one can join any number of clubs in which you pay a fee and receive a skein or two of yarn and some other little goodies on a regular basis. So yeah, I'm a knitting geek. Anyway, I've really wanted to join one because I like the idea of the surprise arriving in the mailbox. A lot of these clubs are yearly things that start in January, but I couldn't wait until then. So I did some research and found the Yarn Pirate. She makes gorgeous, hand-dyed sock yarn so I decided to join The Booty Club. I signed up for two of her offers, the regular club and the semi-solid club. My first shipment arrived while I was at the cottage. With these clubs you never know what you are going to get so I was very excited to open the package. And I was not disappointed.

The colourway is called Serenity.

Here's the semi-solid version.

This gives you a much better idea of the colours involved. Should make for some funky socks.

In addition to the two skeins of yarn and as a new member, I received two circular needles and an excellent Yarn Pirate button.


I love the button.


Arrr, matey!

music Tuesdays - Melissa McClelland

Melissa McClelland - Victoria Day

I'd heard her name, but the first time I heard Melissa McClelland sing was a couple of years ago when she performed with Blue Rodeo at Hamilton Place. I was completely blown away by her voice and downloaded her previous releases when I got home from the concert that night. Victoria Day, her latest recording was released in the spring of this year and I believe that it is her finest album yet. The best way I can describe it is old-timey. While the lyrics are fresh and inventive, the musical styles are classic, lots of blues, country, dixieland and jazz influences here. And since Melissa is a local, I love the fact that she references Burlington, Hamilton and Toronto in a couple of the songs. Definitely one of my favourite Cd's of 2009.

I love this video because it shows just how awesome she is live.



As a side note, after my darling husband read my music Tuesday installment of two weeks ago, he promptly took to the internet to find me a new copy of my long lost Rhinos's CD.


Thanks honey. You rock.

just like a vacation...

Even with the internet access at the cottage, my computer time has been limited. My parents and brother were here for 5 days and as they were leaving, our friends Christine and Stewart and their daughter Mackenzie arrived. So it's been busy. But awesome. I love it here. But not much time for blogging. So this may be the last post until I am home next week. See you then.

photo Friday

Glenn Gould, as he sits outside, in front of the CBC headquarters in Toronto.

music Tuesdays - Danny Michel

Danny Michel - Welcome Home

I first became acquainted with Danny Michel's music when I was in high school and he was in a band called The Rhinos. They eventually broke up and I lost track of him. In December 2007, Steve and I went to a live Vinyl Cafe show and Danny Michel was one of the musical guests. He played a few tunes acoustically and I remembered why I was such a big fan. He is a story teller, as much through his music as through his lyrics. His voice is unique. He can manipulate it perfectly to suit the subject matter of his songs. Welcome Home is a collection of previously recorded material all performed acoustically. Just Danny and his guitar. It's thoughtful and introspective. The kind of album you throw on when you just want to sit back and concentrate on the music.

I couldn't find a good video to use from this album, so here's the title track from his most recent release. You'll get the idea.

it ain't over yet...

I'm notorious for starting knitting projects and either not finishing them or taking forever to finish them. I hate this about my knitting habit so I'm making a concerted effort to finish the projects I currently have on the go. It's hard to do because I just don't get a lot of knitting time in. I used to knit on the commute to and from work, at least 2 hours a day. Now I'm lucky if I get 20 minutes a week in. Really, I just need to organize my time better and make the most of the time I get for myself when the little dude sleeps. I'm working on that.

In the meantime, the drive to the cottage was a big factor in helping me finish my first Claptois. It's an absolutely stunning shawl. Most knitters know this pattern, it's a very popular one and I've been wanting to knit it for ages. I honestly thought I was the last knitter on earth who hadn't made one but it turns out that a few of the ladies in my knitting group haven't made it either. If you knit, I highly recommend this pattern. It's easy, fast and incredibly rewarding. I could see myself doing this one again. Once I finish my other projects, of course.

photo Friday

I spent last weekend with an awesome group of ladies at our annual Girl's Weekend at Elizabeth's cottage on Lake Erie. The weather was not fantastic but we sat outside as much as we could, often bundled up in sleeping bags and blankets. There was a storm brewing over the lake. Maybe even a tornado?

I'm a weirdo...

One thing I've had to get used to as a new mom is talking to strangers. When you're out in public with an infant, people you do not know are magnetically attracted to you. I understand this and most of the time it doesn't bother me when people try to interact with Alex. Even though it can get a wee bit annoying if I am in a rush, I realize that 99.9% of the time, these people are perfectly harmless. But every once in a while, you are reminded that there are very strange and somewhat frightening people in the world.

The little dude was having some pretty serious teething angst today and I needed to distract him. Usually this means going for a walk but since it was pouring out, my next option was to take him to the mall. Surrounded by lights, colours and noise he was perfectly happy in his stroller, taking it all in. Now the mall I went to has two floors. As I was boarding the elevator to go up, a woman came in behind me. She was probably in her late 40's and likely past child-bearing age. We were the only passengers on a very small elevator. She spoke.

"Oh, you have a baby! I want one so much"

Then the elevator doors closed.

She then went on to show my a box small blue box in her hand that apparently held a pewter coin bank in the shape of an arc. It was for the baby boy of a friend of her's. His name is Noah. Hence the arc. "Isn't that sweet? I had it engraved." I agreed and made sure to go in the opposite direction when exiting the elevator. I even watched her exit the mall completely. It was that creepy. I wasn't afraid for our safety, it was just a little off-putting.

music Tuesdays - The Vanity Project

This week's entry is not a new release, but it came to mind when I found Steven Page's name in the news today. According to reports, he and his girlfriend bought a house next door to the apartment in which they were busted for cocaine possession last year. Apparently, this is newsworthy. I'm a fan of Steven Page but I don't need to know every detail of his life. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that his personal life is on track since the unfortunate incident, but seriously why is this information being reported as if it were of international importance? One paper even went as far as to print the address of his new home. Whatever happened to journalistic integrity? Or common decency? Leave the guy and his girlfriend alone. Let them get on with their lives. Just let me know when his new CD is out.

The Vanity Project - The Vanity Project

Released in 2005, The Vanity Project is a collection of songs written by Steven Page and Stephen Duffy. The two first became acquainted when Page wrote Duffy a fan letter. That correspondence led to a songwriting partnership that produced a few excellent tracks (Alcohol from Stunt, and Jane from Maybe You Should Drive, to name a couple) included on some earlier Barenaked Ladies albums. This album consists both of tunes that didn't make it on to BNL records and that were recorded specifically for this project. Page performs all of the lead vocals, so really, it feels like a Steven Page solo record. But truly, this album is all about the songs, so Duffy's contribution cannot be ignored. Both men show off their gift for lyrics and melody and that's what really stands out for me. I also enjoy the folk feel of the album. You can totally imagine these songs performed acoustically, outside, under the stars. Now that Page is no longer a Barenaked Lady, I hope there is another Vanity Project in his future. Wherever he may be living.