Let me feel my feet, let me be free...

My heart is completely overflowing with an incredible level of respect for Xavier Rudd, in so many ways.  He is an extremely capable and creative musician, a kind and caring soul, a fantastic entertainer, and an inspirational activist for the environment and for the rights of aboriginal people everywhere.  His concert was so amazing, on so many levels.  I hardly even know where to begin.

I was super excited on my way to the concert - I'm actually going to see him live!

When I got there I was pretty excited to have snagged myself a seat in the 2nd row.

The opening act was a Rastafarian guitarist/vocalist from Bermuda named Mishka.  I was thoroughly impressed with his lyrics and his catchy melodies.  I had never heard of him before last night, but you can bet I will be keeping my eye out for him from now on!

Before Xavier took the stage, an aboriginal Aussie didgeridoo player came out to demonstrate circular breathing and techniques for playing the native Australian instrument.  He was super funny in the way he dealt with his green shorts (loin cloth?) almost coming undone... "We don't want that... there are children in the audience... and trust me, they'd be scared."  This guy was also incredibly talented - he demonstrated how to imitate the sounds of the native Australian animals (the kookaburra, dingo, and emu) through a manipulation of the lips, tongue, and breath support through the didgeridoo.

The first number in the show was an instrumental - just the drummer (who is not appearing in these pictures, but was situated to Xavier Rudd's left on the other side of the stage).  This song (and many others that followed) were accompanied with powerful slideshow images of aboriginal people, the earth, and other interesting graphics.  Half way through the first piece, Xavier Rudd walked out in the darkness, with only about half of the crowd noticing him.  I was certainly one of them, as I had abandoned my 2nd row seat to make my way to the front of the stage, where I joined the growing crowd for some dancing and up-close Xavier action.  Most people in the audience were very understanding, and let me go in front of them because I was so short.  Hooray!  So for the next 2 hours (maybe?  I lost track of time), this multi-talented, completely lovable Aussie entertained the crowd - he even changed some of his lyrics to include "Saskatoon," which caused the entire auditorium to erupt into cheers every time - while also conveying some very important messages regarding the environment and respect for Mother Nature, and also the treatment of aboriginal people.

So speak out loud

Of the things you are proud

And if you love this coast

Then keep it clean as it hopes

'Cause the way that it shines

May just dwindle with time

With the changes it will confront

("Messages")

You people saving whales,

Giving your thanks to our seas

My respect to the ones in the forest,

Standing up for our old trees.

Them giving food to the hungry

Giving hope to the needy

Giving life to a baby

Giving care for free

There is freedom around us

We have everything we need

I will care for you

Because you care for me

We all have opinions

Some of them get through

But there's better people

With more good to do.

("Better People")

Come my brother, come slowly, come easy

My friend, come my friend

Come my sister, come easy, come breezy

On me you can depend.

Come my brother, put your hands up,

Take your heart out

Let go, come let go.

Come my sister can I hold ya,

Can I squeeze ya,

Let go, come let go.

("Come Let Go")

Everybody going to paddle out together

Any kind of weather

Because everybody's ok.

Everybody going to kick back together

Speak about each other

Because everybody's ok.

Some people going to twist up together

Help to feel better

Because everybody's ok.

Everybody can you sway to the music,

Let the spirit choose you

Because everybody's feeling ok.

("Twist")

I seriously don't know if I can ever have the words that will express what an incredible musical exchange I witnessed last night.  I went to the concert by myself, so as far as I'm concerned it was just Xavier and me sharing his music (despite the fact that the auditorium was full and there was a throng of people dancing and cheering at the front of the stage).  When the audience hollered and chanted for him to come back on stage after his last number, after what seemed like a full 2-3 minutes of incessant cheering he took the stage again, in his usual bare-(tattooed)-footed, earthy look, guitar in hand.  He invited a friend out with him to play the banjo, and together they played "Energy Song."  Incredible.  One of the most touching moments of the whole show, in my opinion, came near the end when he paid his respects to the Cree people by inviting an older Native drummer and a young Native man out on stage with him, and along with his aboriginal didgeridoo player, the 4 of them played and sang together.  It was a beautiful demonstration of the unification of cultures and music, and the humanity of the situation was overwhelming.

I LOVE THIS MAN.

I could go on and on about what an inspiration he is to me, but I hope you get the picture.

Oh, and did I mention that he grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye after the show, as he was just leaving the stage?  He really wasn't exaggerating when he said that "tonight we have made connections that you will take to your grave."

Thank you, Xavier.

(And in true R fashion, I shall be the judge.  I give this concert 80 million didgeridoos out of 5.  A true hit!)

Happy Valentine's Day to ME!!!!!

For the past week or so I have been trying desperately to find a ticket for the Xavier Rudd concert here in Saskatoon this Thursday.  This guy is like an Australian one-man band pretty much.  He's a singer/songwriter/didgeridoo player.  The concert was advertised in this past week's issue of the Sheaf (the U of S student newspaper), so I was thrilled and I tried to get a ticket right away.  But, much to my dismay, they were sold out, and had been for over a month.  I was SUPER disappointed, as I love this guy - I've listened to him heaps this year, and I have been known to sing loudly to a number of his songs while nobody is listening.  Upon realizing that I wasn't going to be able to get a ticket, I tried a bunch of different approaches - posting requests on local buy/sell websites, putting out requests on Facebook, MSN, etc. and asking around to anyone I know.  No luck.

(I was determined to see this concert, though, even if it meant attempting to sneak into the concert while nobody was looking.  I missed Xavier Rudd by only a couple hours in Vancouver this July (on my way to New Zealand).  And he wasn't playing at all in Australia/NZ while I was there, so no luck on that end either.)

So today I checked on www.ticketmaster.ca (as I had done so many times over the past week, but to no avail), and lo and behold.... there's a ticket for me!!!!  I snatched it up right away and then did a happy dance all around my living room!!!!!  So, this Thursday, Feb. 14th, I will be seeing one of my all-time favourite musicians playing live in a small church in Saskatoon, SK!!!!

HALLELUJIA!!!!

"I exist as I am. That is enough." - Walt Whitman

So, _____ (who shall remain nameless), take me or leave me.  But please be respectful and civil to the person who once considered you a friend.

And please allow my personal life to remain that way.  My business is mine, and my relationship is the business of the two of us alone.

That is all.

The wait is the hardest part...

How many days until IMC?

PDQ!

Just thought I'd give you a new aim to strive for:

95 words

Touch Typing

99 words

free Touch typing

102 words

Touch Typing online

Hehehe.

Speedy Gonzalez!

92 words

Touch Typing online

94 words

free Touch typing

91 words

free Touch typing

And pretty consistent too! What's YOUR score?

Photos that I haven't thought of in a while...

Here, for absolutely no reason at all (and in no particular order), is a random post of a few pictures that make me laugh, smile, reflect, and remember how cheery and wonderful a life I have.  :o) (More to come when my computer wants to cooperate and upload faster!):

Look-alikes?

Do you guys remember the movie The Santa Clause?  If so, do you remember Bernard the Elf?  His name is David Krumholtz and he has also been in 10 Things I Hate About You, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Ray, Superbad, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, etc.

So why do I mention this?  Because I have always thought that my friend Sebastien looked like him, and I thought about this again today when I saw some new pictures of Sebastien on Facebook.  So here we go... another look-alikes post.  What do you think?

David Krumholtz

Sebastien

(This reminds me of a post I wrote on another blog last January about the resemblance between the singers Joss Stone and Eva Cassidy... so for the record, here are those pictures):

Joss Stone

Eva Cassidy

Eating chocolate pancakes....

... is so much better than going to 8:30am classes in a life-sized deep freezer.  The temperature outside this morning is a whopping -50C with the windchill.  OH.  MY.  GOD.  No way I'm going to class.  My 10am class was cancelled, so instead of venturing out into the frozen world that is Saskatoon, SK, I stayed home printing resumes for the career fair and making chocolate chip pancakes.

So much better!

There's something eerily familiar about all of this....

That's right.  January 28th (that's today) feels like -39C in Saskatoon, SK.  Taking a "snow day" away from university was looking very tempting this morning, but I managed to make it out of bed and to my 8:30am class... and 3 minutes early at that!  Impressive?  I think so.

Perhaps the guy on the radio this morning summed it up best when he gave the weather forecast:  "And a low today of snowy, cold, blizzardy, freezing, blowing, don't drive on the highway, stay in bed."  (And after all that, he didn't actually say what the low temperature was... I cringe just imagining what it might be!)

This all seems eerily familiar... last January Saskatoon was hit with the worst blizzard the city had seen in 50 years.  Here's to hoping that I will be able to find my car in the parking lot after classes today!

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood...

Interesting story, brought to my attention by friend/ex-boyfriend/co-inhabiter of my apartment building, Doug:

Check out the news story here, thoughtfully provided by a 10th floor resident in my building.

What's most ridiculous is that I didn't hear about it until 3 days later.  Looks like I need to watch the news more often!

Grad photos

So I said in the last post (written only 45 minutes ago) that I needed to update more often.  So here we go!  How's this for frequent posting?!

I had my grad photos at uni this week.  Because I'm in Music Education (a 5-year combined program, which means that I will have two degrees at convocation in May) I had two sets of photos taken - 1 set with the Education colours (purple and black), 1 set with the Music colours (red and black), and then a few photos with a combined purple/red/black gown, and a few casuals also.  These shots all look pretty similar, but here they are anyway.  There are other poses in the bunch, but at 2:48am this is all I feel like posting.  Haha.  Bedtime!!! 

Bachelor of Education (Secondary)

Bachelor of Music in Music Education (Saxophone)

The combined red and purple, showing my 2 degrees in Music and Education

Casual shots

And finally a different pose!

Good night, my crazies!

Life and photos

Life has been chugging along as usual, and things are incredibly busy (but wonderful!).  'Tis the season for job applications and interviews, resume perfecting, portfolio building, etc.  It's nuts!  But things are just peachy, as always.  I visited Reid again today and he is doing SO well.  I noticed a huge improvement in his speech (speed of delivery, diction, just everything), posture, alertness... it was amazing to see him again, and in such good shape!  He's actually planning to go to the Saskatoon Symphony this weekend.  Awesome!!!!!

It's 2am and I really should be going to bed, but I felt like I should share some pictures before hitting the pillow.  :o)

These are a couple of pics I took at the Saskatoon Club last night after the screening of 2 films made by a couple of my friends from uni.  The lighting was neat, and the city seemed to be so still, with the exception of a few people walking down the street alone, crunching the snow under their feet.

The view from the front door of the Saskatoon Club

The venue for the post-film screening drinks and mingling

A Saskatoon city street at 11pm on a Wednesday night... quiet but beautiful.

And what keeps me up until 2am, you might ask?  Well.  If you are indeed interested, take a gander at the following pictures.  I decided to get a head start on my crafty little IMC projects (I've already made all of my "warm fuzzies" for my campers, stickers and all - and I will write on them once I get to know my girls, of course), so I went shopping for some candy, erasers, candy bags, ribbon, etc. and came up with this: 80 goodie bags, ready to go for IMC!  I'll probably make a bunch more once I get more Hershey's kisses, but for now here they are:

The ones on top of the table are completely finished.  The ones on the floor still need ribbon and tags, but I ran out of ribbon at midnight and didn't feel like getting creative with finding somewhere that sells ribbon 24 hours a day.  Besides, IMC isn't until June.... I suppose I do have time!

A close-up of the little gift bags.  So crafty!

There you have it.  I really need to update this blog more regularly, as I'm sure I have pretty good stories from day to day (like the story of our Music Theatre rehearsal on Wednesday that had almost all of us in tears, shouting our lyrics, and reeeeaaaally singing from the heart, more than some of us ever had before.... what an experience that was!).  But, like I said, life is crazy.  The pace never seems to slow down.  That's not always a bad thing, but it just means that sometimes the blogging suffers.... so be patient and I will make an effort to update more often!

Cheers!

My first visit to Reid

I went to visit Reid yesterday for the first time since his accident in Taiwan.  It was SO good to see him.  Granted, it was an adjustment to see him with the physical changes he has experienced since the accident, and his voice and his speech sounded different... but he is doing SO well considering where he came from and what he's been through.  He remembered me and gave me a hug when I walked into his hospital room, and we had a nice conversation about travel, the weather in New Zealand/Taiwan compared to the cold winter at home, Music Theatre Ensemble, Greystones, etc.  I am going to visit him today or tomorrow to drop off a Greystones CD and a couple CDs/DVDs from Garry and Kathy Gable of Music Theatre pictures and performances.

I couldn't resist copying some of the pictures from the CD for myself first.  Here are a couple photo highlights of Reid's performances ("Arlen at the Club" - 2004):

Reid's solo - "Wail of the Reefer Man"

Reid, Stacy, Carolina, and Aaron

That was a great show.... but speaking of Music Theatre, I have rehearsal in 5 minutes and I still have to round up my music from my locker before heading to Quance.  So I must be off.... but yeah.  It was great to see Reid again, and I know there are going to be a lot of challenges on his road to recovery, but it warmed my heart to see an old friend again and to be there to support him.

Kia kaha, Reid!  We love you!!!!!

Christmas, family, friends, music, and other good things!!!

It has indeed been a while since the last blog post.  So, where to start?  Christmas was wonderful.  My parents and I went to Winnipeg to visit the extended family, while Karyn and Nook stayed at home with his family (we had our own Christmas all together just before New Year's).  Our time in Winnipeg was rich with family, friends, food, and laughter.  And I can't neglect to mention snow.... ahhh, a white Christmas it was indeed.

We spent some time in Stonewall visiting my grandma before Christmas.  It was great to see her, as she had just gotten out of the hospital after suffering a stroke.  She seemed to be doing very well, although she now uses a walker to help her to get around:

And Christmas Eve wouldn't be the same without our traditional "twinkle tour", where we drive around aimlessly looking at pretty Christmas lights and getting into the festive spirit:

Christmas morning was spent at Auntie Donna and Uncle Jack's house.  We opened presents and enjoyed a wonderful brunch, which was prepared masterfully by Sean and Uncle Jack in Donna's absence (she left them very detailed instructions before she left for work, mind you!).  By the end of the morning, even the poor snowman under the tree was exhausted!:

We also enjoyed more family fun with Photobooth over the holidays.  What a great looking group!:

My cousin Sean, an avid curler, was in a bonspiel that began on Boxing Day.  We were able to catch a bit of the action (as well as provide a family cheering section!):

My cousin Diane recently had a new baby boy, Carson.  It was wonderful to meet (and cuddle!) him, while also catching up with Diane, her fiancee Trevor, and her adorable and very busy 17-month old daughter Marielle.  Here's the newest star of the show:

I was also able to catch up with my friend and International Music Camp co-worker Jane, as well as her cousin Elaine, who was my pen pal from elementary school (she was in my Uncle Ron's class in grade 4, and I met her when I visited his classroom in grade 3).  The three of us didn't realize that we had this connection until earlier this year.  Crazy!:

It was a pretty whirlwind holiday, but we still managed to find some quiet time.  The world can be so still and quiet on a winter's night:

After our journey to Winnipeg we headed back to Saskatchewan, where my friend and IMC co-worker Kendall came to visit me for New Year's.  It was great to see him again!:

Kendall went home on Thursday, and I'm now back into things full-swing in my last semester of university.  And I'm just as busy as ever, in case you were wondering!  I'm taking 5 classes, and I'm keeping myself busy with rehearsals and performances.... this semester includes Greystone Singers, Music Theatre Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Saxophone Choir.  Oy.  Life never slows down for me, but that's just the way I like it!  It keeps me out of trouble... most of the time.  :o)

Music Theatre is going to be a BLAST this semester!  The theme of our show is "An Evening of Torch Songs."  I'm singing some great tunes - "Black Coffee" (my solo), "Every Time We Say Goodbye" (group number), "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" (group number), "The Honeymoon is Over" (group number), "Why Was I Born" (female quartet - Johane, Chelsea, Courtney, and me), "Who Will Love Me As I Am" (duet with Courtney), and last but DEFINITELY not least....... the best group number imaginable.... "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago!!!  "Pop!  Six!  Squish!  Uh-uh... Cicero! Lipshitz!" (if you've seen Chicago you'll know what I mean!).  SO EXCITED!!!!

Greystone Singers is also a lot of fun, and we're really busy already.  This weekend is our retreat (ie. intensive rehearsal weekend).  We rehearsed from 6:30-9 tonight, and tomorrow we are singing almost all day, starting at 9:30am.  That being said, it's utterly ridiculous that I'm still up and blogging at 3:03am when I have to be leaving for rehearsal in a mere 6 hours..... I should sign off now.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and a very happy 2008 to you all! 

Too much time on your hands?

Somebody randomly (and anonymously) commented on my post about my new glasses, and said simply "You're still probably ugly."

I laughed out loud.

Read my blog, or don't.  Comment on my posts, or don't.  But my guess is that I don't know who you are, and I'm glad I don't, because I have better things to do than to associate with somebody who lurks around the Internet posting nonsense on people's blogs.

That is all.

To a great man

Fiona's dad passed away this morning at what would have been around 3:45am Dec. 13th in Canada (10:45pm on the same day in New Zealand).  I got to know David while I was in New Zealand, and I left there with many fond memories of him.  Fi and Sam and I would go to Fi's parents' house for tea (supper) every Thursday.  David was always there with a hug ready for me, every time.  We would sit and watch the British version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" while Lynley was making supper, and between us we almost always knew the answer (and if we didn't, it would take Lynley approximately 3.2 seconds to locate the correct answer in one of her 5 million books in the lounge.. haha).  David called me "bubby" every now and then, which made me smile every time (such a kiwi thing!).  He even fixed my paua ring for me when I lost one of the small, circular pieces - he cut a new piece of paua shell using a hole punch, and glued it back into my ring.... what a crafty guy!  David also made beautiful hand-made crosses out of wood and paua shell, and I was lucky enough to receive one as a gift before I left New Zealand.  I am thankful that I had the opportunity to get to know and love this wonderful man, and that our last Thursday tea, like all of those that came before it, was full of laughter and friendship.

Lynley, Fiona, Sam, Carol, Murray, Megan... I know that there is nothing that I can say or do to make this situation any easier.  But I do want you to know that I will never have anything but happy memories of David, and I will always remember him as the sweet and caring man that he was.  All I can do right now is to send you my love from across the Pacific Ocean, and hope that you know that you are all in my hearts.  Kia kaha.

Perhaps God is a poet who writes with words

of flesh and bone and leaf and flower.

Every hour of every day, words pour out of the poet's heart,

and every word is beautiful and true and worth the telling.

And when each poem is perfect 

and there is no more which ought to be said,

the poet gently takes the words back into his heart,

where they are safe forever

... and then begins again. 

Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those....

....FABULOUS NEW SPECTACLES?!

The answer is Prince Albert, when I was at the optometrist's office helping my mom pick out some new sunglasses.  I saw these ones and went, "ooooh!  I want glasses this colour next time.  These ones will be a really bad shape for my face, but I'm going to try them on anyway."  So I put them on, and my mom got a huge grin on her face.  We both agreed that we love them... and what a pleasant surprise when we discovered that these normally expensive frames were on for only $50!  The lady working there said "Wow, I thought I'd NEVER sell those ones!  They're SUCH a weird shape - but they work on you!" (I'm still not sure whether to take that as a compliment or otherwise...).  Anyway, here they are!  I'll get prescription lenses in the new year, but for now here's the sneak preview. :o)

I love when things like that happen!

Still alive!

I'm back after a decent lapse in blogging. I'm still alive and well, and have mostly adjusted to life back at home. I'm settled into my new place, loving my new roommate (whom I've been friends with for at least 5 years now), and enjoying being back into the swing of things with my old friends from uni.

Since my last post I got 2 bits of exciting news:

1. I am singing with the U of S Music Theatre Ensemble next semester (and Richard and Kirsten, I think of you two every time we rehearse "Every Time We Say Goodbye".... "how strange the change from major to minor...") :o)
2. I got my job at International Music Camp back for the 2008 summer season. Yay!!!! I'm already getting organized, cutting out "warm fuzzies" that I leave for my campers on their beds mid-week, downloading tunes for my wake-up CD mixes (gotta get those girls moving in the morning!), etc.

Now it's almost 2pm and I have Music Theatre rehearsal at 2:30 so I'd better get myself ready for that.

I miss you all so much, my New Zealand friends! I'll try to keep the blog better updated, with pictures, etc. but for now I have to run!!!