Inner Child

I borrowed this picture from my sister over the weekend. This little girl is listening to It Kills By Steven Malmus followed by the melodic Loud Crowd Crowd. Fuck she rocks!

http://www.stephenmalkmus.com/

Thanksgiving

I went up North for the long weekend. We left after dinner Friday, and didn't arrive until long after dark. We were greeted with a show of Northern Lights that took up the entire sky. I'm not sure what was more beautiful, the northern lights or the stars of the northern hemisphere unobscured by city lights.

The next day I slept in until 8am the next day. Yes that is sleeping in for me. I suppose I could have milked it until 9-9:30, but the house was starting to come alive with the sounds of running water and the smell of brewing coffee.

I spent the afternoon in the bush with my brother in law locating a birch tree that he wanted to cut. We made our way several miles of cutline toward the lake trying to locate "the one" from his previous expedition. We were accompanied by three dogs, his and two of the neighbors. I thought would turn back after a bit, but they ran with us the entire way.

We had to cut our way past a couple trees that we couldn't climb over in the quad, and that's when the bugs were at their worst- when we weren't moving. The black flies were out in full force. I should be glad that it was too cool for their misquito brethren to take a blood meal, but I'm originally from northern Ontario and I seriously don't recall being so bothered by black flies. I think I'm turning into a wuss. They were horrible.

I was smoking incessantly because it kept them back a bit. And when I wasn't smoking I was burning birch bark and waving it wildly asking to be delivered in some kind of 1/16 Aboriginal prayer. Then I would be fine for a while until they came back with the reinforcements. The biggest bother are the buzzing noise and the dive bombers that found their way into my mouth, eyes and nose. I spent more than one occassion shielding myself with my toque pulled down low where it met my upturned collar.

I've never watched a tree being cut down, although I have heard one fall. It is really an awesome moment. It starts to creak in a low moan, and when it's ready with momentum it topples over branches crashing to the ground. I want to say that the tree that he chose would have been removed in the next year to prep the land for its' industrial use- I believe a water treatment plant?

Then the work began. I shouldn't have even been on the quad without a kidney belt, but there I was hauling the logs I could carry. That was brief, and Ernie did the majority of the hauling and lifting when it came to the (wide) length of trunk, about 1000 lbs in all.

Getting in was easy, getting out was a little trickier. We did a bit of bush wacking and had to use the winch to so we could bi-pass a deep puddle thick with mud. That took about an hour. It was honest hard work chopping through small fallen trees with hatchet (the chainsaws would be faster, but overkill), and to our surprise we had a reprieve from the flies during this time.

We made it home in good time, the whole adventure lasted about 5 hours. I was stiff and tired from the ride, and after a beautiful dinner of bbq salmon I was ready for bed.

It was a short visit, but that didn't dampen the time we did have. Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful, and it was great to share a meal with such good company.

I often think that it would be great to have my family closer but I'm thankful for the time we do spend togther.
I'm also thankful that I was able to be in the forest with sunlight coming through the trees, and the smell of rotting fauna so earthy and good. Even when it's dying it's alive.

Two Nights with Arcade Fire

Ah the mall. A place where you can shop your blues away, watch a movie, eat fast food, people watch and two nights ago see Arcade Fire.

I was in good company from the get go when my friend and I circumvented the line-up. When you see a group of people heading in the door past the line up make like a sheep and follow.

Every hipster in the city, with maybe the exception of that guy from Listen Records, made an appearance last night. I'm not a fan of all ages shows, but I could hardly notice submerged in the crowd. I'd like to take this opportunity to appologive to the woman standing in front of me in the short dress and plaid corsette. Sorry, I didn't mean to touch your ass on more than five occassions.

The audience was mature, controlled, and appeciative. They were rivited watching Belle Orchestre a quasi-avant garde foursome. They were treated to polite applause, without the continual talking that happened during the Calgary show. I think it says a lot that they sold 25 cds in Edmonton, and only 11 in Calgary. Oh how literate we seem. http://www.bellorchestre.com/ .

The sound, oh the sound was bad, but I will hand it to all the bands for continually tweaking it until it could get no better. I'd like to think someone read our e-mails warning of shitty soundmen in a shitty room, but more likely they did it because they are professionals. The sound was as good as it gets at Red's. It's a tough place to play music with it's odd shape, and let's face it it was never designed for live music.

Arcade Fire had stage presence to spare. Although I couldn't take in the whole stage from my place in the crowd, the members I could see were passionate, lively, and enthusiastic throughout the evening. Their set was substantial, and they finished it off by zig zagging through the crowd doing an accoustic version of David Bowie's Queen Bitch.

Last night in Calgary they played at the bomb shelter AKA MacEwan Hall. You could see the stage anywhere in the room, again with the exception of the vertically challenged. MacEwan Hall does have the feeling of a large gymnasium. And like a high school dance there is nowhere to sit, just leaning room against the concrete walls.

It was an all ages show and the crowd was quite young. 16 going on 12- they acted like they'd never been to a show. A few with front row realestate talked incessantly to the bands, but how can you blame them when their idols are three feet away. Their youthful exuberance seemed more like aggression, and I believe that is why the band walked down the side of the venue to finish the show instead of manouvering through the shoving pit at the front.

Arcade Fire seemed tired and played a shorter set. They fought with some feedback, and the performers gestured vigorously for more monitor output. It would have been great to hear Cold Wind from the Six Feet Under Soundtrack, but the New Order and Bruce Springsteen covers filled the tiny void perfectly.

It's hard to say whether Arcade Fire would have stopped in Alberta if they weren't Canadian. The gruelling tour schedule they have been on has given them the international attention they deserve, and has possibly made them a slave to their fans. Hopefully it isn't the last Alberta has seen of this dynamic, talented and enthusiastic group of musicians.

A big thank you to Mange for your imput for this blog on the drive home, as well as the transportation and accomodations. And especially for supporting my weight when I almost passed out.

October Light

I finally picked up a full spectrum bulb. I was about to throw off the over draft gloves to buy a SAD lamp but the least expensive one was $199. They had bulbs so I opted to pay $14 instead. I told a friend about it, and she said she had an extra lamp she would lend me. Man I have the best friends! So I retrieved and set it up yesterday. Let the sun shine in!

I started a painting. I have a few things in my head that I've wanted to paint. I have to say that I am by no means a painter. I have dabbled but it has been very rudimentary, so I've decided to paint my ideas in the abstract. A friend with a BFA is being pretty supportive and has been generous with tips. The biggest being you can always paint over it.

Arcade Fire is playing tomorrow night, and I'm pretty pumped. I'm also going to Calgary to see them the following night. The woman I'm going with has booked a nice hotel, with an indoor waterpark. Any recovering from the previous night will be done in the shallow end.

3.5 day work week then it's the Thanksgiving weekend. October is starting fabulously.