Monday, September 28, 2009

Re-Vamp

In an effort to avoid some composing work, I've tweaked my blog header a bit, thus wasting a good hour and a half! Inspired by the wonderful ladies at Shutter Sisters, who pointed me in the direction of a really fun Polaroid app, I've put up some of my favorite pictures of my 'hood, taken by moi over the past couple of years. Not only did I mess with the wonderful Rollip to create the faux-Polaroid look, I also had to download Picasa to create the collage effect. Do you like it?
*clears throat and waits anxiously for non-existent feedback*

Just think of all the useful things I'm learning while I'm avoiding doing the real work I should be doing! At this rate, I'll be a graphic designer before long...

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Lying Fallow.

The last few months have been quiet ones for me.
Not a lot of work- except for the part-time work in August, I haven't done a lot since the spring. I don't count gigs and band rehearsals, since they are barely paid and sporadic.
Not a lot of socializing- other than the Nova Scotia trip, we've kept to ourselves.
Not a lot of exercise, which I'm trying to change by starting to run again.

Every day I troll the internet, looking for work that I could live with, at least until the next theatre contract. I send emails into the ether: I am a composer, answering your job listing, here is my website and hear resounding silence. I email the director of my next theatre project: here are some sketches, when do we start and hear almost nothing back.

I am making this quiet time count for something. I cook and learn and cook some more. My eating- out bills have dropped. (Although my weight hasn't. Funny, that.) I have written some fine songs, songs I'm really proud of. I weigh my options and try to figure out where to go next.

But I feel a little bit like the Invisible Woman right now.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Online Journal... or Performance Art?

Had an interesting conversation with my mom today on the perils of blogging.

Mom's never read my blog. Not that I'd mind her reading it- I don't say that much about her here, and our relationship is very close. But we were talking about family, and relationships, and my dad, and my recent visit to see him. Which I had been considering blogging about here. But as I said to Mom tonight, " I wouldn't want him to read the stuff that I was going to write here. And if I don't want him to read it, then I shouldn't be writing it here."

I consider blogging to be a form of performance art. There is, in its public-ness, a "look at me" strut, an online airing of things that are maybe better left in the dark. It's a fine line. I want to be honest, to make this thing more than a banal listing of the Momentous Events of My Day. Jesus, if you want that, read my Twitter/Facebook blather:
  • Going out to see a play!
  • Making dinner right now- yum!
  • Listening to music!
Who cares?

And I get a thrill that you (whoever you are) read this, that friends and strangers (not many, but some) find these words in the vastness of the internet and spend some time with them, with me. I have no intention of making this blog private.

But today's conversation was a good wake-up call. I have not (yet) violated anyone's sense of privacy here. That I know of. I admit that I read blogs like this one and tune in eagerly for more. Blogs like that disclose so much. That's her choice. But it's not mine.

I will be honest here, but not at the expense of other people. I was lucky to wake up to this before someone got their feelings hurt.

J just asked me what I was blogging about. And so I told him, about the conversation with Mom, and the not writing really private stuff about people other than me and he was like, Duh. Because he's always found this blogging thing kind of weird. And because he knows that sometimes, it's all about him right here. Love ya, Babe.

Monday, September 7, 2009

He's Good. Maybe Too Good.

J is too good with the birthday/Christmas presents. I'm definitely going to have to step it up this year, especially in light of the fact that my Christmas present to him last year was... a dolly.
Nope, not this:
or this:
...but this:In my defense, he did actually want one. I mean, he asked for one and everything. But still, a dolly? Could I possibly have chosen a present with less romance?

Now that you've seen how bad my present was, let's see what J got me this year for my birthday. On the great day itself, I had the small matter of a trip back from an island, a cd release party, and a stinkin' head cold to take care of, so he saved my present until yesterday. I wanted a surprise, so he didn't tell me what it was. In fact, I didn't figure it out until we got off the skytrain yesterday and arrived here. Yes, in honour of my newly-sparked interest in cooking, he signed us both up for a Knife Skills course. And it was awesome! For over 2 hours, we learned to dice, mince and julienne... and we got to eat the fruits (veggies, actually) of our labour: a smoky bacon-and-clam chowder and a frisky Asian chicken stir-fry. I could get addicted to cooking classes. I mean, I know cooking's all popular and trendy right now, thanks to "Julie and Julia" and countless other bestseller books on the subject, but learning to cook really is fantastic.

But now the pressure is on. Christmas will be here before we know it, and J's birthday (and it's a big one this year) isn't far behind. And I'm gonna have to bring it. Help a girl get some inspiration, will ya?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

You Can Learn A Lot About Someone From Looking at Their Google Search Bar:

What's on mine...
  • casseroles (cheap recipes)
  • facebook (haven't bookmarked it yet, although I'm on it everyday. Must be my ambivalence towards Crackbook)
  • helicopter parents (found a great site about "free-range parenting", which I'm a big fan of. Helicopter parents are so-named because they hover over-protectively over their young all the time.
  • end of six feet under (we've finally watched all 5 seasons. Now I'm gonna have to get a life again!)
  • david hasselhoff (don't ask)
  • jimena (seeing if the hurricane had wreaked much havoc in Baja yet)
  • pop music communist russia (upcoming theatre project)
  • smithsonian folk (ditto)