My New Boyfriend Is Hung Like a Horse
Posted on March 21, 2007
This, my friends, is my new macro lens. It’s super mega wonderful and almighty powerful. This puppy weights like 10 pounds, but it works so nice. For those of you looking for some specs, it’s a Vivitar Series 1, 70-210mm, 1:3.5. It’s pretty freakin sweet. And I managed to get a super sweet deal on it, and it looked at me with its puppy eyes, and I just couldn’t leave it there. The only down side is that it doesn’t have a CPU, which basically leaves me on my own and throws all of my automatic options out the window. While my other original lens offered me wide variety of automatic features that calculated the light and chose the aperture and exposure for me, this one is old school and incompatible with my camera in that sense. Since I don’t really know how all that stuff really works, this puts me in some kind of a pickle. Well, i just have to learn I guess. And for that sweet lens, I’d learn the world over if I had to. THAT, my friends, is Love. Simple version: I’m just going to get myself a light meeter and a read up on it and learn this shit!
Spring is nice in that sense; how suddenly projects seem realizable. The winter rut is over. And this whole job changes that I had to deal with was probably just life’s way of freeing up my stressed-out-and-worried-manager-head to make room for more exciting things like this.
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Two Autumns Ago
Posted on March 21, 2007
Just a short little blog to tell you guys about this website I love and just remembered existed. I used to check it ALL THE TIME, but somewhere along the way I forgot about it. But now I just rememebered it. It’s quite brilliant actually. It’s this really good friend of mine who’s a photographer (her name is Amy Pickett- she did the photo of me for my last book) and her … fiancé, cuz they’re engaged now. His name is Jordan and he’s a poet. So she takes the pictures and he writes on them. I’m so jealous of this project. Mainly because I admire how beautifully they manage to keep it up and fresh. I’m such a fan! I want to buy them all and paint the walls of my apartment with them (not the people, the pictures).
So here it is for you all, Two Autumns Ago.
www.twoautumnsago.com
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Doors, Alleys and Fire-escapes
Posted on March 20, 2007
Imagine doors
Doors wide open
Big heavy metal doors
Doors with no knobs or handles
See-through glass doors
Garden gates left wide open
while others swing freely in the wind
White picket fence doors
kept closed to keep the kids safe inside
or simply to protect the garden gnome
and all his lawn buddies
Kitchen swinging doors
Locked apartment doors
while others are left ajar
Car doors
that ring when left unattended
Bus doors
that feel the movements of your hand
Metro doors
held open to let the others in
Doors open at 9pm
Activate alarm before locking the door
Knock knock – who’s there?
Doggy doors
Foggy Doors
Frosted glass doors
Screen doors
Gated doors
Garage doors
French doors
Automatic doors
Exits
Closed bedrooms
Sorties de secours
Revolving doors
Heaven’s gates
Portes ouvertes
Doors when there are no windows
Patio doors
Thank you, come again.
Today I went to the Mile End on a promenade. It was a lovely day for this. I brought my camera with me, having decided to finally get serious about this Doors project of mine. And the Mile End was just the perfect place to start. There are so many cool houses around there. So I walked around after having written this little poem and looked at doors. What a fun time I had. Does anyone ever even look at doors anymore? I certainly came to the realization that I didn’t notice them very often, and the times I do notice them is just not enough. I wrote this thing and was amazed at how many different types of doors there are. Of course this is not an exhaustive list, it’s a poem. Then I walked around and looked at doors. I also looked for “FOR RENT” signs as I’m trying to find a new place to live, but I didn’t really get lucky there. But with the doors… man! Did I ever strike gold! Today’s the most fun I’ve had in years!! I’ve got to do this again.
So this is my project. Doors, Alleys and Fire Escapes. I also have this fascination with the twisted stairs of Quebec… the fire escapes, in French we say “escaliers en colimaçon“. Ever since I moved to Quebec, I’m just absolutely and totally fascinated by them. They’re just so special to look at. They catch the light in a particular way and give a new “twist” (pun intended) to plain alleys. And I also like alleys. We don’t have alleys in N.B. Well, not as much as here in Montreal… they’re everywhere and more often than not, they are far from boring.
See the following link for the rest of the pictures:
http://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/JazzophileB/Montreal%20Doors%20Alleys%20and%20Fire%20Escapes/
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Tomorrow, the Fussy Part
Posted on March 13, 2007
So as part of the package, the ex is coming along. Okay, so he’s not an actual ex since we never actually went out. But he broke my heart like 50 000 times so he falls into that category. He also happened to be my best friend in the world at one point as well. That was until last May we slept together again and he was with someone else and he didn’t tell me. Then there was a phone incident… and the girl found out through my MySpace blog and came out lashing at me. After reflecting on the matter, I decided that I should be loyal to her and not him because he doesn’t deserve my silence and I’d been in her shoes once before. So I told her. I’m pretty sure he knows I told her. Like 90% sure. When I was around Freddy-town for New Years Eve, there was alot of tension, and we didn’t talk. Well, he asked me if my hair was my real hair. I answered by asking him the same question. There was a little hair touching, and that was that. I saw him after that but there was no talking. So I was pretty sure he was mad at me… with good reason of course. Can’t blame him. So yesterday I felt the urge to write to him and ask him if he hated me since we were going to run into each other this week. He never used to answer my emails, so I didn’t expect an answer. This morning when I got up and checked my emails, to my great surprise, he had answered. I was a bit nervous as I opened the email. The little blue bar showed the webpage’s progress and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it to fill the address bar completely and give me the answer I was going to get. Not that I cared so much whether he hated me or not. I just wanted to be ready… that’s why I wrote to him in the first place. Mainly, I was scared that he would strike back. Attack with hurtful words… he’s good with that.
Well no. None of that. He doesn’t hate me. In fact, he’s going to give me a hug when he sees me. I’m really happy about that. I read the email like 3 times. It was short, but that didn’t matter in the least. It’s there, overthrowing Miles’ ambiguous email invinting me to check out a show if his this weekend. Because, yeah, there’s an email hanging around my mailbox with Miles’ name on it. After having decided to be friends, he totally ignored me at the Moondata show last Saturday. Like big time ignoring. Like he’s sitting at the bar across from me and pretends he doesn’t see me. That hurt. I mean, I’m no better really. I ignored him right back. Sure. Guilty as charged. But he’s the one who wanted to be friends in the first place. He should’ve come and talk to me. Well, whatever. I took that as a clear sign that his offer for friendship was sheer politeness. It’s okay. I don’t really need him as a friend anyway, but it would’ve been nice to skip the awkward part and been actual adults about this. Then, the next morning, the email flies into my mailbox. It was an emaile that was destined to like 10 people, yes. It is possible that it just kinda landed there by mistake. But my address was there, at the bottom of the list. As though it was not part of a group, but actually added manually. I was really confused. So I just answered him “seriously?”. I never got an answer. Even a one word answer would’ve been better than being ignored once more. What a fuckin coward. Well now it’s okay. Because every time I delete an email, it won’t take me back to Mr. Perkin’s ominous email. No, it will take me back to Nick’s “I’m going to hug you” email. I’m ready for the hugs. Bring ‘em on!!!!!
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Posted on March 12, 2007
Sweeeeeeeet!So since I posted the videos of last night’s show on my MySpace page, Moondata Productions got in touch with me, asking me if I would allow them to put them up on their webpage. I’m really excited, and super flattered. I’m such a big fan of this thing that they have going. It’s a really cool concept really. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, here’s a quote from their website that kindof explains what the Labprojects are all about:
“The LABproject series is the project that best expresses the concepts that govern Moondata. Based around ideas of collaboration & open-minded approaches to the creative process, it is presented as a monthly event to which artists are invited to participate in a live, improvised concert that has musicians, visuals artists and DJs performing together in a ‘very special one-time only performance’. With a line-up that changes from month to month, many of the participants meet and work together for the first time on the day of the show.”
It’s so cool, and I’m all about it: the open-mindedness and collaborations. yes. all good stuff. And the shows that they put on (I’ve only been to the last two of them, but both freakin blew my mind) are really fantastic. You can kinda see the whole visual effects thing that they have going on as well which is a really big part of my impressedness (sp?). At first I thought it may have been the boy, now I KNOW that it’s definitly not the boy. Thanks to him for making me discover this fantastic new thing though. Seriously. This is my new favoritest event in this city. I feel so lucky to be living here when events like that take place. And it’s so special really. Montreal has such a pool of brilliant artists. And it really does take something special to bring so many of them together for a “one night stand” performance that works out so freakin beautifully. Jams are often such messes. Freakin messes. I hate most jams. But this. This!!! This is REALLY something. So hats off to Moondata Productions for making this happen. I’m so flattered that they’d put my videos up on their website. So honoured. Wow. I’m blushing.
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Posted on March 8, 2007
I’ve just made a couple changes with this blog. Now you don’t need an actual blogger account to comment. So now everyone can comment away!
I also added a description.
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Posted on March 7, 2007
My friends are coming to town next week to play a show. 
People should come see this.
It’s going to be awesome! All the way from New Brunswick! yes yes. It will be Fussy Part’s first gig in Montreal so let’s show them a warm welcome and fill the place up!
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Posted on March 5, 2007
So not only do I get a weekend…I get FIVE full days off in a row. It’s pretty sweet. I just spent two and still have more than that left. I’m tired, and it’s OKAY. It’s all good. At first I was going to go to NB to visit my mom for a couple days, but strangely enough, I couldn’t find an efficient way to get there. The train was full except for cabins which brought the ticket price up to like $460. The plane was full. The bus took 10 hours between Rivière-du-Loup and Bathurst, which made the whole trip like 20 hours long (not doing that). And because of the storm, Taxi Cormier wasn’t operating. So…I decided not to force things and just let it go. Then I figured I could maybe go to Toronto since I’ve never really been and could go visit my dear friend Julio. So I wrote him an Email, but he didn’t answer. So, I’m stuck here in Montreal. I have no money, and therefore, no way out. Yes, yes, I could hitchhike…pft! Don’t you know I’m way to posh to do that kind of stuff?!
It’s not so bad. I made a list. I made plans. My list is:
- Learn everything there is to learn about my SLR camera. I downloaded and printed the 84 page instructions manual and will study every last word of it religiously until the camera in question has no more secrets. I sit there with my highlighter and feel like the student I was not so long ago…taking notes, going back to previous paragraphs. Mentally testing myself to make sure I’ve retained all the precious information. It’s fuckin great. I’m having a blast. And there’s still like 8 chapters left to learn.
- Once step one will have been successfully executed, I will then go out on the street and take pictures. I will take notes as I go. I will experiment and get some hands on experience with the thing. Put all that precious knowledge into practice.
- Cooking. (check)
- Make a mix tape.
- Party. (check)
- Get in touch with friends I haven’t seen in a while.
- Do laundry.
- Change bedsheets.
- Find a good book to read.
- Go skating.
So that’s the plan people. I really wish I could get off the island though… Maybe I’ll go for a trek to Longueuil. … nah! I’m not THAT desperate.
So last night I was invited over to my friend Amélie’s for dinner. So I splurged on a good bottle of wine. Man, was it ever good. I should buy expensive wine more often. It was Italian. It was 2004. It was SOME TASTY! Then my good friend Amanda called and she was in town visiting from Fredericton. She wanted to go check out the lesbian scene in the village. So we went to Drugstore. Man, I don’t like that place. The only good thing about that place is that you can actually sit down and talk (unlike most other places in the village where you go to dance and have to listen to these awful awful beats). And the girls aren’t even hot. All the hot ones are straight pretending to be gay. It was nice to hang out with her again though. It’s been so long since I last saw her. It was short but sweet.
Today I got started on that mix tape that I wanted to make. I have like three people in mind for this one so I’m still undecided on whether I’m going to make a general one for all three or if I’m going to personalize it to the max. I think I’m going to go for the latter. I didn’t finish it. It was very time consuming. Then I got cooking. Getting down with my list, ya know. This is the meal I had started prepping a couple days ago when I chopped off the tip of my finger. I didn’t have time to finish it since tending to the wound kinda took up the time I has scheduled to finish it last time. So today, there wasn’t much chopping left to do so I felt safe going into it. I was going at it slowly. Gently chopping the garlic and the ginger. Took in the experience of grinding my own spices. Intensely pressing the pestle against the mortar. Grinding is pretty hot. Then, I was rinsing off my super-mega-mac-knife and in the wink of a second, my finger kinda knacked the sharp edge of the blade (another finger, not the same one) and there I went…bleeding again. It barely touched it…but man…that knife is something else. Really. My mom say that this is my emotions again. It’s my ring finger on my right hand. She says that it’s the emotions in the present while the other day it was my emotions in the past. Well, well. … Anyway, there was no blood in the food. I finally finished off the prep and got it cooking. It was pretty tasty. I invited Andrea over to the tasting. It was nice.
I may need help checking off step number 5. I feel it may have been unproperly checked off. Besides, there’s alway room for more sauce! …sometimes…with a couple days break in between.
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Posted on March 2, 2007
“be the blanket for my bones, be the place that I call home; slip into your skin and spend the night, and slip out of mine”
and
“Don’t be a fool, now don’t be afraid, nothing is ever really supposed to last. Everybody needs to meet the end“
started jumping out at me. And then, not only jumping, but freakin’ haunting me. And then the subtle horn and string arrangements all became clearer. Popping out. This guy isn’t only good, but I’m pretty sure he’s a genius. So touching.
Seriously. I’ve been on a pretty wild ride lately, and only now does this start to make sense. Man. I don’t know who he is (as a person), but I love this man. Fuckin brilliant! I was reading this article the other day about this brilliant man, and it said that his father taught him that music came from the sky. And that the fact that he lived in the city interferred with that coming down of music. Mmmm…. It was a great article. I should’ve chopped it out.
Speaking of chopping, I chopped off the tip of my finger. So this blog is pretty difficult to write right about now. I have a band-aid on my middle finger and it keeps hitting the neighboring keys and I keep having to go back and try again. I was slicing carrots with my fabulous knife. It’s so fabulous that it just chopped off almost my entire digit. It bled alot. I kinda stuck the chunk of skin back in there and figured it may be easier for my body to reattach a piece of dismembered skin than trying to regenerate a new tip of my finger, digits and all. It doesn’t hurt that bad, but it’s awkward as hell. I can’t type. I can’t even practice my guitar anymore. So much for the new strings. Fuck! I had to leave the whole recipe there and try to keep the bleeding under control. Now the piece seems to have reattached… but it’s not over. Since it’s always in the way, it’s just going to be that much harder to let it heal in peace. My mom says it’s my emotions. Ha! Silly woman. My emotions are fine. The slicing of emotions is just a natural part of life, right?
Tonight I had to mop the entire coffee shop. The whole point of being manager is not having to do the shitty stuff like that. But one of my employees was puking and the other was very slow. So if I ever wanted to get out of there I had to mop. It was alright. Pretty zen actually. I should probably mop more often. Cleaning does that though, it’s so zen.
Then there was this friend of mine who told me this lovely story about how he meditates in the morning for an hour with this girl he likes. I thought it was so cute. He just sits there and meditates with her. By the end they’d get hungry and start fantasizing about food. And then after it was over, they’d share their common food fantasies and then make breakfast. Lovely, just lovely. It made my day. It seemed like a very peaceful way to start the day. Every relationship should be that easy.
Tomorrow, I get a weekend. Yes. Ladies and gentlemen, I get both Saturday and Sunday off this week. It’s the first time this happens since December. I’m pretty psyched about it. I get to have dinner with a friend of mine who works in an office. It’s going to be good. It’s going to be so good. A whole two days off in a row. Wheeeeee! Happy weekend everyone.
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