ribfest

here are 2 photos from ribfest in burlington (aka canada's largest ribfest) this past weekend. 

you may or may not know that i'm not the world's biggest carnivore, but i was very excited for this event. the rib vendors come from all over the canada and the us. these people eat, breathe and live ribs and i love seeing people who are passionate about something (even if it's ribs).  it was hard to choose which one to go with but we settled on uncle sam's bbq from new mexico (probably because new mexico sounded exotic). i love ribfest because there is no admission fee. how many festivals do you go to where you can just stroll on in and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells free of charge? [side note - i have been to another one - the sound of music festival (also in burlington). i've grown quite fond of burlington, it's got city perks with small town feel and beautiful lake views and parks. local wildlife sightings include bunnies and swans.]

so anyway, ribfest had 2 stages with continuous performers, we saw a few of them and they weren't bad, not bad at all. the highlight for me was sharing a bloomin' onion with mike and my parents.

heaven?

which is possibly one of my favourite indulgences of all time. it didn't sit that well but it was worth it.

rocket

this photo isn't very good but i had to take one to prove i was there

yesterday i was a first time passenger on the new ttc rocket.  only minutes earlier i had been saying that it probably doesn't actually exist... which only seemed reasonable considering i hadn't actually seen it or knew anyone who had.  well little did i know... i was about to eat my words.  after climbing the steps to transfer southbound at st. george i noticed something different; there were no screeching tracks and no loud rumblings. i watched in awe as the brand new train came barreling down the tracks. it was so quiet, so sleek, so ... new.

"ooh look at me, i'm all shiny and new"

for those of you who haven't been hearing about it day in and day out, the ttc is integrating these fancy shmancy new trains on the yonge/university line.  here is a concise blogto article if you want to know more. i'm fairly skeptical of the design... despite being noticeably smoother and quieter there were even more armpits in my face.

via blogto - look, it's all connected - neat.

it'a shame that they aren't adding any of the new trains to the bloor/danforth line which still runs trains with no air conditioning and vinyl seats... could the ttc be favoring people who live north and south of the downtown core?  they claim to have more passengers on that line, but i can tell you (for certain) that at rush hour, going east is always more crowded than going south (and northbound is never as crowded as westbound).  in conclusion, i think someone needs to double check their statistics!

a boy of good breeding

i just finished an excellent book called a boy of good breeding by one of my favourite canadian authors miriam toews. it's set in algren, manitoba which i believe is a fictional town created for the purposes of this book.  in the book, algren's claim to fame is being the smallest town in canada: population: 1,500.  the story follows two main characters who are vaguely connected, knute and hosea.... interesting names.  knute is in her early twenties and has a four year old daughter named summer feelin. she moves back to algren to help out her parents after her father suffered a heart attack and is having a challenging recovery.  hosea is the mayor of algren and anyway... read the book to find out more about their interesting and unique stories. 

i think i need to take a trip to sonic boom.  all this reading has me out of touch with the world of music and i miss it.

can you tell i was good at writing book reports as a kid?

all families are psychotic

the original of this post was posted 2 weeks ago.  blogger "removed" it...  and after patiently waiting for it to be restored, [it hasn't been] i'm attempting to re-write it.  hopefully they won't "remove" aka delete it again...

i recently finished reading all families are psychotic by douglas coupland.  i should add a disclaimer: dear family members, this title is not meant to offend you in any way. i have been reading a lot of douglas coupland books lately.  i like his style of writing, it just flows well and keeps my imagination active.  in contrast to most of his novels i've read (set in vancouver) this one is primarily set in florida.  this induced many fond memories of family vacations in florida.  we usually drove down at the beginning of the summer and i recall experiencing a scorching heat like no other.  i have one particularly vivid memory of a young boy catching a sting ray, ripping out the stinger and throwing the poor thing back in the gulf.  i worried the bleeding ray would attract sharks and headed back to the pool.  i probably have enough floridian memories to write an entire book, and it holds a special place in my heart. 

anyway - back to the book - it's about a family (shocking!).  it tells the individual story of each family member.  at some points it seems far from reality but manages to remain very real.  i guess this is typical of his books.  they tend to have an aspect of fantasy which throws you for a fun little turn.  i enjoyed the book.  it was an easy and fun read that had me laughing and cringing at the same time.

hot docs - vinyl

http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/vinyl

part of the reason i was wanted to live in toronto was to have access to the entertainment it has to offer.  more recently was the hot docs film festival.  there were many films and i had no idea how to choose.  i'm not saying i don't know how to sit at a computer and read names of documentaries with the corresponding descriptions, i didn't know how to pick.  spoiled for choice.  which may be the reason i've missed out on many events in toronto.  i don't know what to see, when to go or who to go with and before i know it, the whatever it is has come and gone.

i was getting ready for work in the morning, listening to the radio as i often do and that's when i heard about vinyl.  vinyl is a documentary that came out in 2000 about record collectors.  i was delighted to find out it was playing at the royal as a part of the hot docs festival.    for someone as indecisive as myself it was like winning the lottery.  i bought the tickets and that was it.  sometimes you have to bite the bullet.  (also, the tickets were $14 dollars and that isn't too hard of a bullet to bite)

the night started off with dinner at utopia which isn't too far from the theatre.  dinner was delicious and the film was fantastic.. [alliteration intended]... it was introduced by the director (and star) alan zweig.   i don't know how to describe the film and do it justice.  but i'll try.  alan himself is an obsessive record collector.  the film includes a series of interviews with record collectors, friends of alan's and strangers alike [including harvey pekar].  the interviews are seperated by some fairly dark, and also humourous confessions about his own collection and his life.  the confessions are filmed by pointing the video camera at a mirror.  the mirror is surrounded with items related to whatever he is talking about.  the other characters are varied, and so are his questions.  he has a way of getting people to show vulnerability on camera which i don't think is easy.

after the film he answered questions and left a box of records at the front of the stage for the audience to pick at.  i picked up an unfamiliar bruce cockburn album that i have yet to listen to.  on the way out i wanted to meet him.  i shook his hand and said i wanted to tell you that i really enjoyed the film. he took a look at the record in my hand and said let me see what you've got there, i showed him the album and his response was, meh.  at which point i laughed and felt a bit embarrased and mike and i left and walked home.

also of note: anytime i told someone i was seeing a hot doc they thought i was saying hot dog.  no confusion here though, right?

the diary of alicia keys

the diary of alicia keys was released in 2003.  at the time i was still into purchasing cd's... as it was before i had started collecting newer albums on vinyl and before i knew anything about itunes.  i am especially fond of the design on the actual cd:

and unlike other music that i was listening to in 2003, this album still finds itself in the mix of albums that i listen to regularly... which says a lot since my musical preferences are always changing. 



massey hall

this past saturday included my first trip to massey hall.  i was impressed.  we saw two acts there: the opening act was one of my favourite canadian artists: jill barber and the incredibly talented michael kaeshammer.  in between sets i waited in a busy crowd and was able to meet her and get this album signed and speak with her briefly.  i was over the moon. 

i had never really heard of michael kaeshammer before.  he was introduced as canada's harry connick jr. but i think he stands out on his own.  notably, the drummer was out of this world and the interaction between them made the show what it was.  the whole group was awesome to watch and listen to.  you can get an idea of what i mean from this video:

movies

i recently had the pleasure of seeing two exceptional movies: 

win win is currently in theatre.  it's about a family.  the father is a lawyer who is struggling to make ends meet.  i don't want to give much away, it's really worth seeing for yourself.  the movie takes you on an emotional roller coaster with a multitude of underdog characters that you are continuously rooting for.  starring two of actors who i have soft spots for jeffrey tambor and paul giamatti.  another treat was seeing holly from the office as a new jersey mother with a whole lot of spunk and a great sense of humour.  i sincerely loved this movie, and i would watch it again in a heartbeat.

i vaguely remember seeing a preview for get low at the theatre and thinking it would be a great movie and then forgetting all about it... until we saw the cover at the video store this weekend.  starring another actor i have a soft spot for, robert duvall.  he plays a hermit who has (basically) exiled himself from his community.  he lives on 300 acres of land with his mule.  the mule is really cute.  he has decided to have a funeral party for himself before he dies.  the movie takes you through the planning stages, and gives clues as to why he has become a hermit.  so if you want to find out why, watch it.

both of these movies were heartwarming and feel good, suspenseful and not too predictable.  they both had great casts and fantastic acting.  i feel like it's not something you come across too often in hollywood style movies that explode at the box office (whether or not they are any good).  it was a nice change.

ham on rye

i recently finished reading ham on rye by charles bukowski... after hearing a quote from him i was instantly interested in reading some of his works.  i had heard that ham on rye was his most autobiographical work so i thought that would be a good place to start.  i had no idea what i was in for.  bukowski is undoubtedly a phenomenal writer...  i thoroughly enjoyed each page of this novel... but i was no less than shocked by the vulgarity of his writing.

the novel is written from the point of view of charles' alter-ego henry chinaski... it takes you through his life, from the time he immigrated to los angeles, california from germany at the age of 3 through to just before his writing career started.  it is set in 1930's, and life is noticeably different than what we know today.  this book covers everything, from whippings from his father to his first interest in women.  he struggles with a severe case of acne vulgaris in his teens, a case worse than any doctor has seen.  his image of self and confidence is greatly affected by the painful boils that cover his body, and it seems to form his tough guy image...  the book becomes increasingly raunchy.  swearing, fighting, gambling and alcohol seem to be a consistent theme in henry's life. 

while i have read novels from a male's pov - i was enlightened by the brutal honesty of his story.  i believe growing up is painful, no matter what gender or decade it happens in...  and he illustrates this point as it is somehow relatable.   i was so engaged, that i didn't even take the time to research the man himself.  now that i have seen a photo of bukowski and read a bit of his story on wikipedia, i believe ham on rye must be incredibly close to accurate. 



cold war kids

cold war kid's third album came out this year in january.  i love it.  i haven't listened to their second album much but i loved the first album, robbers and cowards.  i was initially drawn to the songs that are driven by rock-y and heavy piano.  mine is yours has less piano (if any?) but after a few listens, i'm really into it.  my favourite song is louder than ever

Cold War Kids - Louder Than Ever by shockentertainment

the best part of the album, in my humble opinion, are the first 4 songs.

on friday i saw them perform live at the phoenix.  the venue is definitely not one of the best in toronto.  but it easy to get to via ttc at least.  i thought the band fell a little flat live.  in fact it inspired me to decide that from now on i primarily want to go to shows of musicians that i genuinely love and respect and love dancing to their music.  dancing being the most important part at the moment.

audience is one of their singles that features more of the piano sound i like:

Cold War Kids - Audience by Matt Kuhn

but imagine if they inverted their name to hot peace adults?  tee hee

einstein's dreams

mike told me about alan lightman's novel einstein's dreams and picked up a copy for me to read.  it is a fictional account of einstein's dreams during the time that he was developing his theory of relativitity.  his dreams are centered around different concepts of time.  each chapter describes a theory of time; in one world people have no concept of future or past and are stuck in the present moment.  they cannot comprehend that there will be a future.  if someone is stuck in a time of misery or a period of joy they remain that way.  in another chapter people can slow down the aging process by living farther away from the centre of the earth and people migrate to the mountains.  one dream seperates people as "nows" and "laters" and in this world, people live forever.  the nows are highly productive (over-achievers) and the laters believe they do not need to accomplish anything until later (fairly self explanatory).  in another dream time does not exist at all.  for 30 consecutive nights (and 30 chapters in the novel) the young einstein appears to be tormented by these dreams.  he explains to his colleague and friend michele besso that he is convinced knowing about time will bring him closer to "the old one" (aka god).  i really enjoyed exploring theories through my imagination.  the chapters were short however, and it seemed that as soon as i wrapped my brain around one concept i was on to the next.  it was an interesting book that provided insight into einstein and his theories.  and it provided me with a lot of confusion in my brain, but in a good way.

tcb

being that i'm on a serious motown kick, i picked up this record last weekend.  at the time, i had no idea what tcb was.  in hindsight, it should have been obvious.  taking care of business, the title of this musical from 1968.  it is really fun to listen to.  not only because the music is awesome, but there are some talking interludes that are funny and make you feel like you've travelled back in time.

---------- 

tcb - i first heard this acronym from my brother.  i have a feeling he really likes acronyms.  he also coined aqap (as quickly as possible).  and i feel like this is a good time to mention that he is participating in a fundraiser called live free.  this is the email i received from phil this morning that i'd like to share with you:

As you may know I'm a volunteer board of director with Halton Food For Thought (HFFT). HFFT ensures hungry kids are fed at school and given a better chance to learn.
We are in the midst of one of our major fundraising campaigns. This one is called Live Free. The point of Live Free is to give something up for a day.
I'll be giving up coffee on that day. Most of you know I really enjoy coffee and consider this a pretty big sacrifice given that I’ll be a parent any day now (I'll keep you posted on that too).
Please consider donating and know that your money will go directly to purchasing food to feed hungry kids at Halton schools.
You can donate by clicking here and any donation is appreciated.
Thanks


Phil

i keep thinking to myself i haven't done any volunteer work in a while... and that i'd like to... but i haven't gotten around to it yet.  considering all that phil and alison have on their plate - it is pretty amazing (and inspiring) that he is taking this on.

full moon

today wasn't the best day.  and on the subway a woman pushed me as i was trying to step out of her way and i tweaked my back trying to keep my balance.  it's funny, it was around 9 degrees and sunny but people (including myself) seemed extra grumpy.  so here is what i think might make the world (and my world) a better place. 

i'd like:

• spring to start springing
• people not to litter
• earbuds that never tangle
• a 3 day weekend, every weekend
• a piece of mail that isn't a bill or junk once a week
• often finding things in the first place you look
• more kindness and patience
• less selfishness

in other news.... i got the review of the day on yelp today and am so thrilled.

and it's the friday of a long weekend.  i have a couple of new records to listen to, books to read, free time and family time.  it's going to be a good weekend, damnit.

this is my mind, vinyl.

beirut - the flying club cup

i can never seem to get the name of the album right.  is it meant to be that way or is there really a flying club cup? because a flying cup club just makes more sense to me. am i supposed to care enough to remember if club comes before cup or vice versa?  admittedly i don't like the album name, but i do like the album.  this was the first beirut song i ever heard, and i was pretty much sold.  and here is the video that introduced me:

it comes from the people at la blogotheque, you may have heard of their take-away shows and if you haven't the nantes video is a good introduction.  you get the idea.... take... away... show... and put a video on the internet.  yep, it's that simple folks.

the song immediately stood out because of the way it made me feel.  i neglected to become critical of any musical factors because of that powerful feeling.  so around 2 years ago i got this record:

and it's a good record.  and i still listen to it, which is maybe why i'm reviewing it so long after the fact.  but mainly i love listening to nantes.  his voice is very.... unique, and maybe that's a good thing but i can't say i am really a huge fan of his singing style or his voice.  the overall composition (the feeling) i think is great, and the cover is pretty ... retro looking .... so that's fun.

top two

i picked up joe cocker - with a little help from my friends at my new favourite store....  antique avenue, located on ottawa street in hamilton.  my parents took me to ottawa street to browse around the second hand stores.  there were a lot of great stores there, but antique alley was my favourite.  i had never seen a store quite like it!  it had that familiar musty thrift store smell, and was jam-packed with amazing collectables.  one of the owners told me that all of the items came from one guy who lived on a farm and had like 3 barns full of stuff.  one day i guess he decided to get rid of it... well according to this article, his wife wasn't as big into collecting and they were planning to move off the farm.  the prices at this store are insanely reasonable and i hope when i go back it hasn't been too picked over.

it has definitely been my most listened to vinyl over the last 2 weeks.  my favourite song on this albums is do i still figure in your life.. 

number two this week is hall & oates - rock and soul part 1.  i found it in the new arrivals at sonic boom on bloor.  hall and oates sure had a lot of boppy hits, and i've been listening to them on repeat:

favourite songs include, she's gone, rich girl, maneater and you make my dreams.  it is quite the contrast to the first album but that helps keep me balanced.

interesting fact: ottawa street is home to the first tim hortons, opened in 1964.

the darjeeling limited

    

for the longest time i couldn't find anyone to watch this movie with me.  i would get responses like: "i'm not in the mood" or "um, no thanks" or "seriously?" ... i understand that it's not everyone's kind of movie but the people who like it, love it.  when i finally watched it i loved it so much i went out and bought it.  now it's like one of my good friends that i visit with every once in a while.  it's true, you do have to be in the right mood to watch it, but i think it's a great story.  the three guys pictured on the cover are brothers.  each brother has a unique and different personality and their sibling dynamic is equally unique.  the thing i find really interesting is that we all have [a bit of] each character within our own personalities... even though they are so different.  you may relate with one of the characters most, but each of the brothers are relatable and endearing in their own ways.  not only is this movie visually stunning, it has a great soundtrack...  not to mention, an all star cast with fantastical humour.

including one of my all time favourite songs:

book club

this is the book that i left at my parent's house without a bookmark. when i got it back a couple of weeks later i struggled to find my place.  and since i didn't learn my lesson the first time, i continued to throw it in my purse without a bookmark and must have re-read the same pages at least 20 times... in any case... miriam toews is one of my favourite canadian authors.  you may know  a complicated kindness or more recently the flying troutmans.  i think this is the fourth of her books that i've read and despite focusing on a heavier subject, it still made me laugh out loud.  she has a real honesty to her humour that i appreciate.  swing low: a life is a memoir of her father that she wrote through his point of view.. several years after he took his own life.  miriam provides insight into her father that i'm sure he would be proud of.  it wasn't sad, it was inspired. 


slapstick came from santa.  i wonder how santa knows i like kurt vonnegut?  the best word i could use to describe this book is... wacky.  it was a science fiction, futuristic and somewhat post apocalyptic tale.  the storyteller is the former president of the united states who now lives in the empire state building with his granddaughter.  he goes through his life, and explains in detail his bizarre relationship with his twin sister.  when separated, they are just average (or below average people), but when they put their heads together they become insanely intellectual.  he describes the physical closeness as a crucial part to their "genius" and it kinda weirded me out.  but overall i enjoyed it.  the forward was the best part because i liked reading about vonnegut himself, but the fiction was disturbing, humourous and entertaining.

i wasn't able to recover my copy of douglas coupland's hey nostradamus!  but i did find it at bmv for $2.99.  what a steal!  anyway it took me a while to find my place, but once i did i quickly got back into coupland's stylistic flow.  i love reading his books so far.  there is something about the way he writes that really appeals to my brain.  this book was based around a high school shooting. there was an account of the shooting through the eyes of a deceased victim (from... heaven?).  prior to the incident she had eloped with her highschool sweetheart.  they got fake ids and flew from vancouver to las vegas at the age of 17 without anyone knowing. each chapter is entitled after a different character connected in some way to the shooting. and includes the subsequent life events of the husband who survived while his young bride died in his arms.  i'm not going into too much detail here.  it was interesting, and funny, so read it. 

wake up

john legend and the roots - wake up.  is a good album...  so i bought it.  it's fairly new, i think it came out in fall 2010...  that still counts as new, right?  the songs are (covers?) or based on.... 60s -70s soul tunes.  i just learned recently that the tracks are somewhat politically minded and were inspired by the 2008 presidential election in the states.  collaborations can be good.  collaborations between several talented artists are awesome, and i think this qualifies.

what's cooking?

not this cat. 
this is oscar.  to quote his father pete, 'a new shade of brown has been discovered, oscar brown.'  oscar has a brother who is equally as handsome.  his name is sammy miami.  'he likes his cars the same as his women.  fast.'

isn't he precious? so bashful, but he appears to enjoy the spotlight.  don't worry, no cats were harmed and the stove was cleaned after his time to shine.

anyway after my failed attempt at cuddling (more like man-handling) the cats, and a failed game of euchre, 3 friends and i took turns at drawing in my sketchbook.  this game carried over to the emmet ray where a dj was spinning older vinyl.  and the crowd was .... interesting.  (by that i mean really weird)... but i hardly noticed the people around me because i was wrapped up in these crazy drawings.  if i get a chance i will post them sometime.  i'd also like to note that my dreams of learning web design were crushed last night, more like stomped on, but you get the idea.

here is me trying (and failing) to take an artistic picture at the emmet ray.  at least you kind of get a feel for the room and there is some bookshelf that i really like in the background.

dollar days at no frills

dollar days, 'nuff said.

people are going wild all over ontario, dollar days are back.  i'm talking about the franticness to buy everything before it sells out.  more specifically, buying things you absolutely do not need. my mom told me she had to physically stop herself from buying shampoo for a dollar. 

me: "oh the suave!?"

mom: "no it was called outrageous or something"

.... we both thought that buying shampoo for a dollar would be a good idea, for no reason other than it was only one dollar.  luckily[?] we have both made this mistake before and were able to control ourselves. she taught me to love deals.  and i think she is proud of my thrifty abilities.

you can read my review of no frills here