theHOUR

Soo... did anyone watch the HOUR on CBC or CBC NewsWorld last night? Did you see that insanely goodlooking guy in the front row wearing a purple sweater? Yea... That was totally me. You know you're jealous. My man-crush is now a lot more intense than it was before... I watch the hour almost everyday. The only way i miss it is if I'm at work. And hey, since the Friday show is a "best of" for the week, all of th ebetween segment stuff is taped thursday. So look for me again tonight. 10pm on Newsworld, and 11 on CBC proper.
The guests were Crispin Glover (hollywood actor/crazy person), Gregory Levey(authour), and Alia Shocot (Maeby from Arrested Development). I totally loved Maeby's "Best Stroy Ever".

artistic process...

Sometimes...

You have to get all the sillies out...
And I mean ALL the sillies out.
Every last one...

In order to get a decent shot.

spring fever...

green grass, sunshine, spring in general... it all makes me horny.

vanity fair

it's raining here in ptbo...

has been on and off since i woke up at 4:30...

if it quits by noon, I have a photoshoot with a good friend.

i'm actually kind of excited.

(not a good one, just a newer one...)

In West Philadelphia, Born and Raised...

So over the weekend, I took a little vacation.

A much deserved and long overdue vacation.

So at 5:30am Friday, I woke up and got ready to head off to Philadelphia PA. The city of brotherly love, home of Benjamin Franklin, and birthplace of a certain "Fresh Prince".

Now, despite the worldly view I pretend to possess, I have never left Canada in my entire life. And have only left Ontario to go to Montreal, on business trips with my mother because she cannot parlez francais. So needless to say, I was excited.

A question I got asked a lot leading up to this last-minute trip (I decided Tuesday that I would go Friday) was, "Why Philly?". The answer was art. This was the last weekend for the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibition of works by Frida Kahlo. My friend Karen is a huge fan, and I was pretty excited thanks to all of the art history classes I've taken, as well as the works that I have studied in conjunction with some of the courses I took for English Literature.
So by 7:00AM, Karen and I were caffeinated, and hit the road with a freshly baked raisin challa from the cafe (THANKS DANIELLE!).

Word to the wise, don't blindly trust Mapquest. They will get you lost about 4 times. making an 8.5hour trip border on 10/11hours. They will recommend that you get off the interstate in some Podunk town and then head in the opposite direction of your destination rather than drive 2 exits further and be on the correct highway. Just saying...

Since this was my first trip stateside, I tried to collect license plates. I got 1/3 of the states, 17 in total (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, California, Delaware, North Dakota, North Carolina, Florida, and more that I can't remember now). That passed some of the time.

But the art was the main focus, and it was amazing. Degas, Mondrian, Rodin, Pollock, Johns, Liechtenstein, Warhol, Van Gough, Cezanne, Picasso, and more. It was really moving and a little overwhelming. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is apparently the third largest museum in the United States. The place was HUGE! Giant galleries, whole reproductions of medieval temples, Buddhist shrines, Shinto tea houses, and colonial parlours, photography, watercolours, sketches, oils, everything. EVERYTHING!

In short, it was a concentrated trip filled with fun. Much better than a week long vacation where everything is meh. I think, if I can swing it, this will be the summer of the little day trips...

Terra Ferma

Happy Earth Day.
Everythings Blooming.
Enjoy.

yes, we are a flood town...

Peterborough, land of the notorious floods of 2006 & 2007 is still above water, for the most part, but people are getting leery. Massive melts are threatening some downtown areas.
This is the back half of the patio at the hotel... good thing the patio doesn't open until May 1st!
Somehow, I think these kis were having more fun than I was. But thats Okay, because I was dry and clean. Thats always what matters the most for me. Clean and Dry!!
Did you see that bridge? it goes right into the water... Safety first people!
This is part of the price we pay for global warming. Conserve energy, waste less, and donate your time and money to environmentally sound and green projects and causes. Also, I guess its the price we pay for having a river and lake in the middle of the downtown core...

progress...

... is the action of a persons trasition from good to great.

this is when we meet...

... And the real journey begins.

I get around...

So Tuesday Night was a concert night in Peterborough. Dragonette, a killer Toronoto outfit doing electro-pop-esque stuff with two killer opening acts on the bill as well. Sweet Things and Fritz Helder and The Phantoms. I rocked the LOUD "Bill Cosby on Acid" sweatshirt as this was a Neon is the New Black event to boot. The Opening act's Drummer, Tyler, was the little brother of one of my Fav. Brew-Pub waitresses. Not only that, he's the same Tyler from "Popular Mechanics for Kids"!!
This is Sweet Things, more rock with harmonies, and no real electro elements, but easily proved themselves a great act to see and hear. I wish I hadn't drank all my money away so I could have bought their CD.
Fritz Helder and the Phantoms have a song where the basically rap and mock the audience for not being original. They gave me props from the stage for my sweater, which pretty much made my night. That and Pastel Supernova (The Girl in the Seafoam Socks) is rediculously sensual and agressive. My kind of woman.
Then around 1am, on came Dragonette. They were amazed that on a Tuesday night we sold out a 500 capacity club in a "small town". I couldn't get over how short Martine is in person. She is a teeny tiny elf of a woman. But her vocals were spot on to the album, which made me super impressed. I hate it when a band live, sounds nothing like they do on the album. All in all, a great show and a good way to end a pretty crappy week. If you've read this blog for a while, you know how much I commune with live music. This was a great show, and check out the bands. They're all on my iTunes, and will remain there for a looong time.

Sunny Days Off...

Yesterday I was off work. And the sun still shone bright and warm, and the jacket was left at home as I wandered a few blocks from my apartment to see what exactly this day had decided to highlight with its golden rays.
The things I see everyday on my way to work, while out with friends, or when running errands seem to be lit for their debut. Things look better with a bit of sun, with a touch of radiant warmth.
After a trip to the cafe, to the bank, to the gym and the grocery store, the evening was spent with the waning rays warming my toes as I enjoyed a new book (In Defence of Food, Michael Pollan) and a great CD by a UK band, The Kooks. It was a pretty damn good day. So raise a glass to many more!

Dramatic Re-enactment:

Only at Sin City

This is how you choke a bitch on the Dancefloor...

Thanks for driving down for a night of voracious dancing Kristen!