On Sunday as the ferry was loading at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, I was settled into my seat listening to the big rigs bang on board beneath me. It seemed like such a lonely sound...of course no one else took notice.
We start to reverse, the ship shakes a little as it's starting up. When it reaches a certain point in the water, all becomes quiet as we turn around to begin our journey to Swartz Bay. In that moment of calm and silence I felt something new...
A feeling of being pulled in two opposite directions at once.
It's best to visit Vancouver, be cautious and aware of how it's affecting me, and get out quickly if I am to open my heart to Victoria.
I'm wondering if there is room in my heart for two different cities. It looks like one city will have to move over and make room.
Rawbean and I went to see Shout Out Out Out Out on Saturday night at Richard's on Richard's in Vancouver.
The show was amazing, just what I needed. It's been ages since I've been out to see a band.
We were at Sassy S's place in Port Coquitlam with IG before the show. Unfortunately her craft night coincided with the concert so we knew we had to leave early - as in The-Band-Was-Due-To-Start-At-9:00-Early.
8:00 pm. Glance at the clock. We all look at each other and we knew it was on. We jump in the car and take off.
Silence as we race down the highway into the city.
Cash, ID and lip balm are transferred to pockets in the car.
She drops me at the ATM. I part with IG.
Rawbean sees the cab out front as she parks her car, opens her apartment door and throws our bags down.
A flawlessly executed pick up along the way by a cab driver who is fully engaged.
Pick up our tickets at will-call.
Approach the bar while the band is walking on stage.
Buy our drinks, immerse ourselves in the crowd.
Clink our glasses, turn towards the stage and they begin.
It was perfect and we were totally meant to be there.
So, after all the work I did on The Music List for my parents, I decided that it wouldn't be complete without a great CD cover. Of course I decide to do this literally hours before the damn thing should have been in the mail to them.*
Three weeks ago Brad says to me: "You know, you should finish that music for your Dad. I can just see it - the night before you need to mail it you're going to be freaking out at the computer trying to get it done."
My response: "Bah! I have TONS of time...."Needless to say, I was sitting up at the computer the night before frantically working away...As for the album covers, similar to gathering the songs - I thought "Oh, I'll only need to download a few....."
Well, it turned into 40. Since I don't 'get' Word I used AutoCAD to line up the images. Super easy, but time consuming.
I think it worked out pretty well. He loves it, and they plan on putting it on and dancing the night away. So cute, I can't handle it.
*The whole point was to give it to my Dad for his birthday.
Ohmigod!
The Ultra Dense Genuine German Rye Bread is sucking me in!!
It's so dense, it has created a black hole in the kitchen, I can feel TIME slipping away...
You know when you are in the grocery store and someone is bagging your groceries and they put the bread in with all the cans and you don't realize it until you get it home? Then you have squashed bread for a week?
Well, I'm trying out this new diet. And NO, it's not a diet to lose weight - it's a diet to eat better and feel better overall. I went to a bakery yesterday and bought a genuine German rye bread.
Holy shit is this thing ever dense!!! This little bread loaf weighs a good 5 pounds and it's so hard on the outside.....I can't crack it. I've been sawing at it for about 10 minutes now.....I should have had them slice it for me at the bakery.Oh, how I long for my own home made bread.....which I'm still making once a week for my husband....you know you love someone when.....
Everyone has a bulletin board or something that they hang crap on right?
Well, here's mine. There is a wide variety of crap on mine: aliens, cartoons, my Grandma's pin cushion, concert tickets, coupons we want to use......etc.
What's your bulletin board like?
I went into Vancouver again yesterday. I know, I know....
(Read on though for good things that happened as relates to Victoria...)
1. I had lunch with four of the most fabulous, unique girls I know. I only get to see them for an hour, but it's worth the 4 1/2 hours of commute time to squeeze in a lunch with them. (Girls, here is the recipe for the salad I had if you're interested.)
2. I had a coffee date with a good friend/former work mate. I killed some time but found myself free early. Rather than meeting him at our favourite coffee shop, I decided to drop by his office.
We used to work together. He was my mentor - basically taught me everything I know and we are still super good friends to this day.
It was so great to see my old office, some old work mates, R's messy office (I should talk, check out how my desk was when I worked there), my old boss (who always gives me a big hug) and find out that this recession isn't hitting them too badly.
The only downfall was seeing some new wallcovering, running my hands over glass tiles and drawings - boy do I need to get back into the working world...
3. I had dinner with another chum at my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver. He grew up in Oak Bay*, and is an avid, avid sailor. He docks his boat near Swartz Bay, so summer 2009 will be be full of sailing trips and much-needed visits 'home' for him.
3. As I was on the 601 heading into Vancouver I was listening to this song and suddenly got SUPER stoked for their upcoming concert. They were through last year with Cut Copy and I missed them.
4. Last night as the 9:00 ferry left the dock, it was the first time it felt right to be coming back to the island. Not just because all my stuff, oh and my husband are here - but it's starting to feel more like home. Finally! It's only been six months.*lucky bugger
I love coffee. I love everything about it. The incredible smell of the beans. Sipping coffee from one of my pottery mugs with a book. Sipping coffee in a cozy coffee shop with a friend....the warmth of a mug full of coffee in my hands.....If I had to choose between chocolate and coffee, my choice is an easy one.
I'm sure you've had orange and chocolate, but how about orange and coffee? So. Good.
Starbucks has a drink called a Mocha Valencia. Chocolate, coffee and orange. Oh. My. God. *
You can make orange scented coffee at home, it's really easy.
1. Put the zest of one orange into your coffee carafe before you brew your coffee. You can use a vegetable peeler and plop the zest straight into your carafe. I use a rasp to grate my zest, then put the zest into a tea ball and immerse that into my carafe.**
2. Brew your coffee as usual.
3. Make sure you remove the zest from the carafe after the coffee is finished brewing. If you don't remove it, the zest will steep in the coffee too long and make it bitter.
4. Add cream/sugar/soy to your liking.
Sit back with a book or a friend and enjoy.
*Unfortunately the last time I tried to order one, they told me they had discontinued it. It hasn't been on the menu for years, so people obviously were not ordering it. I hope it was just that particular Starbucks, but I have a sinking feeling it isn't.** Zest one orange for 4-6 cups of coffee. Use more oranges if you are making more than this.
Remember this post?
The morning after we decided to move to Victoria, I got on the bus to go to work. I was already a mess. All I could think about was how I only had about 7 more months left in Vancouver and everything that that entailed.
Backtracking....in the summer of 2007 we went to an amazing Spearhead concert at Malkin Bowl.* There was one song in particular that stuck with me, but I didn't know the name of it. That morning on the bus, I sat down, opened the album and randomly chose a song. It was the song from the concert. And the name of the song is Everybody Ona Move. Yeah, considering what was on my mind, I was a mess.
I can think of lots of times in my life when music has been a huge part of an experience for me. That bus ride was obviously one of them.
The only way that I can open myself up to something major happening in my life (whether it's a new city or a new job for example) is if it causes a positive emotional reaction in me. Until yesterday, I hadn't had this experience yet with Victoria, I think this is part of what was bothering me.
These experiences happened to me daily when I first moved to Vancouver. Even after living there for years, it still happened once in awhile. I remember one morning last summer driving over the Granville Bridge and listening to this song and feeling what I can only call an emotional high.
Get this.... it happened in Victoria the other day!
I was standing on a corner downtown, looked across the street and felt Victoria "calling out to me" again, as well as a similar emotional high that I used to feel in Vancouver. I felt like I was in the right place, at the right time. The right song was even playing in my ear, which made the experience complete.
Here is the real street corner:
*If anyone who is reading this was there, do you remember how it rained?! Oh yeah...
About 5 years ago my parents gave me a list of 108 of their favourite songs. They were wondering if I could make them a CD (or two.....or more) so they could have them all together.
I brought the list home and as is my usual routine with projects, never got around to it. Actually, I never even looked at the list.
Until about a month ago.
I thought that since I have time on my hands, I would get around to it! Well, little did I know that this "list of songs" that they love, is more than just that. It's actually more like this:
1. Songs that they really know
These are obvious like Waiting on a Friend by the Rolling Stones or Ramble On by Led Zeppelin. I mistakenly thought that the majority of the list would be this way and I could gather them from my own CD collection. I was so wrong.
2. Song Titles they aren't so sure of
For example, they think the song is called What good Is It by The Guess Who. But in reality it's called Do you miss me Darlin'. Thank god for the internet.
3. Song Titles they know, the artist? Not so much
Example: Dirty Laundry by ? . Turns out it's Don Henley. This is relatively easy for me to research, since I know my parents taste in music. But my all time favourite part of this list is...
4. Lyrics
No, seriously. When they know they like a song, but have no idea who sings it or the name of the song and jot down some lyrics.....oh and they get the lyrics wrong.....
Looking for a place to 'have' *
Making stops along the way
Good thing I had a huge love for this band and I found these lyrics familiar - The Tragically Hip.
Overall it's been really fun finding everything and putting it all together. I'm so glad my parents have good taste in music. Then again, that's all relative isn't it? I grew up with The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin....I've even been to a Stones concert with my parents - so great. I love that entire generation of music.
I think your parents strongly influence what music you will like based on what they listen to while you're growing up. If your parents don't listen to music much at all, this might mean that you don't develop a passion for it. Or if you grow up listening to country music, that will be your thing. I have a massive passion for music, I couldn't live without it. My Grandma was incredibly musical (she could play by ear) so I even have a bit of that in my blood.**
What did your parents listen to when you were a kid?
* It's actually "Looking for a place to happen"** I played piano, clarinet, and was in a pipe band (yeah, seriously) when I was a kid.
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It's best to visit Vancouver, be cautious and aware of how it's affecting me, and get out quickly if I am to open my heart to Victoria.
