Matthew Good, and some Celebrity Look-A-Likes!

I got offered a couple of tickets for the Matthew Good concert at Hamilton Place, this past Friday. Of course I accepted the tickets, and after a few minor issues were ironed out, I'd also found someone to join me that night. My sister met me at work and we went for dinner before the show, since there were 3 hours between when I finished working and the start of the concert.



We arrived at the venue and the first thing out of the ticket scanner's mouth was, "man, those are awesome tickets!" It's always a good sign when an employee verifies the awesomness of your seats. We were 9th row, dead centre.



As we're sitting there, Brenda's commenting on people as they're arriving and finding their own seats. Two rows ahead of us, this group of people come in and Brenda just blurts right out "Oh my god, it's Sideshow Bob!" The people in front of us heard, and started laughing. Seriously, this guy's hair was friggin huge, and completely blocked my view. For those who are skeptical as to whether I'm exagerating, see the picture below - courtesy of Brenda.


Was he courteous enough to bring a hair elastic to tie it back out of every one else's line of sight... NO. That said, after the opening act, it was determined that they were, in fact, in the wrong seats. I enjoyed listening to the opening act, I just couldn't see much because of the mass of hair in my direct line of sight.

I swear it was celebrity look-a-like night and we weren't told about it. A guy came in and I swear he looked exactly like Screech from Saved by the Bell and Brenda noticed this older leathery looking guy in a leopard print cowboy hat and dubbed him "Crocodile Dundee". Then the lights went out, the performance started and we couldn't search for any more look-a-likes.


Matthew Good came out, performed for an hour, took a picture of the audience and then went off stage to the sound of roaring applause. He came back out and continued for another 45 minutes. I've got total respect for anyone who can play an acoustic guitar for an hour straight, but to go for another 45 minutes is incredible. My own fingers start to hurt after 30 minutes.

One of the funniest things he said was that when the lights are on, Hamilton Place looks like it's stuck in the 1970s, but when the lights are out, it looks like Battlestar Galactica, and that in his opinion, that's awesome. Not only is the guy an awesome musician, but he's quite amusing too. Makes me love nerdy guitar players even more.

Favourite Things

Okay, so a few people have said I'm not posting enough anymore... Fine, I agree and I'll even admit that I'm lacking in the ascerbic wit department lately. So, in an effort to appease Michelle, the 'Blogger Extraordinaire', I give you my top 5 lists (in no particular order).

Alone-time Activities

1. Playing the flute, guitar, and piano
2. Curling up with an awesome book
3. Photography
4. Writing
5. Beating Guitar Hero on Expert... almost.

Activities Whilest Commuting

1. Applying makeup on the bus, without poking my eyes out with the mascara wand or eye pencil
2. Solving killer sudokus and logic problems
3. Reading
4. Listening to music, trying to drown out the other, less considerate ipod users on the bus
5. Sleeping... yes, I sleep on the bus, and no, I've never missed my stop, ever!

Songs

1. Disenchanted - My Chemical Romance
2. Country Roads - John Denver
3. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - Bach
4. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
5. Mario Takes a Walk - Jesse Cook

Books

1. Anil's Ghost - Michael Ondaatje
2. Dracula - Bram Stoker
3. Microserfs - Douglas Coupland
4. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
5. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice

Movies

1. Big Trouble in Little China
2. Ghostbusters
3. The Goonies
4. The Court Jester
5. Return of the Jedi

Recipes to Cook or Bake

1. Chicken Bengalia
2. Chocolate Miracle Whip Cake
3. Spaghetti & Meatballs
4. Curried chickpeas with apple and rice
5. Christmas Sugar Cookies

Culture, anyone?

I had a couple of tickets given to me for the Jesse Cook concert at Hamilton Place last Saturday. Originally I was going to take my mom with me. That said, she was working all weekend and by the time I got home from the mall, she was out cold. So I ended up taking my sister with me instead.

I warned her ahead of time that the majority of the music would be completely instrumental. By the time the intermission rolled around, all the music to that point had been purely instrumental, and she turned to me and said, "when is there going to be singing?". The singing came in the second half of the concert. I was really hoping to hear "Fall at Your Feet", but didn't hold my breath, seeing as they'd already performed 2 songs with vocals. Towards the end, they wanted people to get up and dance, and even told them to get up on stage and dance if they wanted to. It was like one big salsa/flamenco/conga line party up there.

After a huge standing ovation an encore, and then another standing ovation, Jesse Cook and the rest of the musicians came back out for a second encore. It was the most amazing performance I've ever witnessed. I got to hear "Fall at Your Feet", completely acoustic, with no microphones either. The entire theatre was silent, and it was an incredibly breathtaking experience.

Shockingly, my sister, the pop-tart music lover that she is, actually enjoyed herself... once the singing and dancing started.

Subways aren't the place to die, dear...

Okay, so Brenda asked me to go to Beachfest with her on the 2nd. I said sure, Chantal Kreviazuk was playing, but more importantly for Brenda, her dream guy Kalan Porter was performing. She also persuaded me to go because David Usher was performing that night for the festival too.



We finally get to Toronto, and I've got our subway to subway to bus route all planned out. I like to be prepared, and know where we're going. We got there at 1pm and should've had plenty of time to get to the festival for Chantal Kreviasuk at 3:00. Everything was working as planned and we were on the University-Spadina line, poised to transfer onto the Bloor line at St. George Station... until an announcement was made saying that there was no access to St. George Station due to an ongoing police investigation.



We got off at Spadina to transfer subway lines, and waited for about 45 minutes for the next subway, until we heard an announcement stating that there was no subway service, due to a police investigation at track level, and that all passengers should go above ground to the shuttle bus service. ~ooh, a police investigation at track level... you know what that means?!? Someone decided to jump in front of a subway during the mid-day rush. I should swear off of taking the subway ever again... my last day working in Toronto, there was an electrical problem at Union station, and I was stuck on the subway between stations for almost 45 minutes.


We ended up taking streetcars for the first time ever... kinda scary, to be honest. I'm still not too sure about waiting in the middle of a road for public transit, while the cars whiz by, dangerously close to where you're standing. We missed the 3:00 performance, but managed to get there for Kalan Porter at 4, so the day wasn't completely bust. I decided to forget about David Usher at 9pm, so we walked from Sunnyside Park to Ontario Place, and then walked around both Ontario Place and the Ex.


I just have one request of anyone wishing to jump in front of a subway... Could you please re-think your plan... maybe try it at 1 or 2am if you're really serious about it?

The Future of Canada?!?

O
Okay, so yesterday, I get out of work at 5pm, and need to make it to the bus stop at Queen and Main by 5:06 - that's when the Beeline's supposed to be there. I had plans to meet my friend at Eastgate for 5:30ish... I know it was kind of a tight schedule, but at the same time, it really only is a 1/2 hour bus ride across the city. So I'm truckin' it from Locke to Queen, when I get the sense that I should look behind me to see if a bus is approaching. Sure enough, I'm about halfway up the hill when I see a bus at Locke. I couldn't make out whether it was my bus or not, so I decided to speed it up a notch. I get to the corner before my stop, and decide that a jog was in order - just to make it to the stop. All of a sudden, this beat up teal green junker from the late 80s/early 90s drives past slowly, since they were approaching a red light at Queen. A snot-nosed kid, probably 8 years old and weighing about 170 - 180 lbs hangs half way out the rolled-down rear window and points and laughs at me as they're passing.

Usually, I'd just brush the snide comments of a little kid off, seeing as kids typically don't censor their thoughts very well - I know, I was a kid, and brutal honesty always escaped my mouth without much thought. But, this particular event made me extremely angry for several reasons.

There was of course an adult driving the car, presumably the parent of the child, why the HELL wasn't the kid securely fastened into the car?!? Seatbelts aren't there for decoration you know! It's the law! Seatbelts keep people safe, in the car, should an accident happen.

The rear window was wide open, the kid was half way out of the car! That's really safe! What would have happened if a car had passed by as the kid was hanging out? Or... what if the kid fell out of the car as it was moving?? I see criminal negligence charges, and one less annoying kid in the world.

What ever happened to manners? Do parents teach their kids about manners anymore?? Think about it - is it really polite to yell things out the window at pedestrians as you pass by in your car? Ummmm, let me answer this for you NO!!!!!!!

I'm not the smallest person in the world - I don't like to criticize other people about their weight... that'd make me a hypocrite. However, perhaps what this severely overweight child needed was to be out playing or walking or some other physical activity, rather than screaming out the window of a car. It's odd that I'm being made fun of for walking, by a little fat boy. Then again, if the parents failed to buckle the kid's seatbelt, lets them hang out the window, and doesn't teach them manners, I highly doubt that physical activity and a healthy lifestyle for their child ranks high on their list of things to do.

This experience leads me to the question that is troubling many people... Is this kid the future of Canada? If this is any indication of things to come, I do say, we're all in a heap of trouble!

My Day, Including Prostitutes and Potheads... Oh My!

I started out the day at work, which was alright. Had a laughable moment when some guy came into the office to purchase an ad - wanting it to say something about being "hardcore". He then asks us, to define what "hardcore" meant. The answer given was that it meant "doing not so nice things". I couldn't say anything and nearly choked on my drink because I was trying not to laugh.

To be honest, I wanted to intercept with, "according to the google definition search, hardcore is defined as "1. hard-core: intensely loyal; "his hard-core supporters" 2. Hardcore techno is a kind of techno music closely related to the Gabba style. It originated in the early- to mid-1990s in largely industrial or post-industrial cities (Rotterdam, New York City, Newcastle, New South Wales) and simultaneously in commercial dance techno music looking for a harder sound..." wait, those aren't right... "3. hard-core: extremely explicit; "hard-core pornography" Ding, Ding, Ding... if you guessed #3, you're right!"

After work, Danielle and I went to the movies, and saw Live Free or Die Hard, and went for Thai. Movie was awesome, Thai food was great, as usual. At Gore Park, we parted ways. I stood at my bus stop and was approached by this guy around my age. First question was "do you know what time it is?" I answered, and then the next question was "do you know where I can get some pot?" Not the greatest segway, but whatever. Told him I didn't know, since I don't smoke pot. He then proceeded to make small talk until the bus arrived, and then in an offhanded way, tried to get me to go out for drinks with him. I politely declined... really I don't like being picked up at the bus stop on my way home after working and going out. All I want sometimes is to just go home and relax.

This isn't the first time a guy has approached me and asked where to buy pot... perhaps this is THE new pickup line I'm not aware of? Or... am I just a beacon for all the potheads and lost souls, wherever I may travel?

Holy Flaming Car, Batman!

Yesterday was a very busy day for me. To sum it up, I went to work, left early for an appointment, went shopping and then decided to visit my sister at work, before heading home.

At 7:30, I decided to head home, and started walking to the closest bus stop, near the train station. I'm approaching the cross walk, and I hear the sound of tires squealing. I looked, and saw a car narrowly miss a bus, lose control and crash head-on into the corner of the overpass/bridge where the trains come into the station. What did the bus driver do? Well, he just kept on going, and didn't even stop for a moment. If I would've seen the bus number, I would've reported the driver for not remaining at the scene.

The driver gets out of the car, and quickly gets away from it, since the crumpled hood of the car is steaming and smoking. He then, in a total stroke of genious, goes back to the car to retrieve his sandals. By this time, I'm standing at the bus stop, and notice that where there was just smoke, there's now the beginning of flames under the hood of the car. I place a call to 911 to report the fire, and was told that they were already responding to a possible car fire. I stressed that it wasn't just a possible car fire anymore, that there were now flames rising above the hood.

Needless to say, since I'd witnessed the accident, I had to stay and tell the police what I saw. So, I got to sit in the back of a police car for the first time ever. Not really an experience I'd like to do ever again. I'm a short one, and my knees were touching the barrier wall between the front and back seat. Because I didn't see the colour of the light, since I was just paying attention to the crosswalk signals, my account of the events wasn't documented.

It's accidents such as this, that make me very glad that I'm environmentally friendly and take the bus.

Working Downtown

Okay, so some of you are familiar with working downtown in a larger city. It has its perks and its downfalls. The two biggest perks are that I'm close to shopping and restaurants, and that all the busses run to and from the "downtown hub".

Now for the downside!


This morning, I'm standing at the bus stop (in front of a nudie movie place), listening to my music and minding my own business. All of a sudden, I feel someone tap me on my shoulder, so I turn around. It's this lady in her early 60s trying to force a watchtower publication on me. I politely declined, when really, I felt like blowing up and screaming at her that I don't force my beliefs on people and I don't want her stupid magazine, so leave me the f&;*% alone!



Yesterday, I'm walking from my work to downtown, and all of a sudden I get a whiff of super-heated urine as this lady is approaching me to ask for directions. Sure enough, the front of her pants are soaked. Ewwwwwwwwww! I held my breath while I pointed out where she should be going. Thankfully she was going in the opposite direction from me, so I was assured she wouldn't become my newest bus bus buddy.



I knew that at some point I wouldn't be able to avoid talking to people during my daily commute, but why do I always seem to attract the fanatical religious ones or the gross ones?!?

Buyer's Regret?!?

Last weekend, I took my mom and Brandy to see the Phantom. I purchased the tickets back in December, and gave them as Christmas gifts. Really, it was kind of a selfish gift in a way, since I was buying a ticket for myself, no matter what. Needless to say, everyone enjoyed the performance.

However, during the performance, I found myself going off on a tangent of thought.... not really something I should've been doing during an artistic performance, but hey, it happens. I could see the orchestra clearly, from my seat, and focussed in on the flautists. At that moment, sheer and utter disappointment flooded over me - I so wanted to be down there, in the pit, playing my heart out for all to hear. I decided to let it go, and enjoy the performance, but that little voice has creeped back into my head.

It got me thinking about where I am now and what I'm doing, and it's a far cry from where I thought I'd be. I always thought that some day I'd have an artistic career, preferably in music. Instead, here I am, behind a desk all day long, processing payroll, and doing all the mundane tasks that HR Assistants get stuck doing, and it's sucking the life and creativity right out of me.

Even school didn't work out the way I thought it would. I graduated with an English degree, and then went on for my HRM Certificate. I always thought I'd graduate with a Music degree and then go on to be a music teacher, a performer, or a conductor... ah, such lofty aspirations I once had.

So I'm experiencing a sort of buyer's regret over how things have unfolded thus far. Arrrrgh! How expensive this regret is, too... Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I end up re-analyzing my situation and realizing it's not really where I want to be.

Quasi-Celebrities and Nudity!

Okay, that title got your attention, right?? I don't have a whole lot to report today, other than the following.

My brush with Quasi-Celebrity Fame: walking past Mike Bullard in the Yonge Eglinton Centre. Whoo whee, I didn't think I could contain my excitement any longer.

Note to the old naked guy in the window at the Double Tree Hotel... Yes, when the blinds are open, people can see you... even when it's starting to get dark out. The general population has no desire to see your wrinkly old bum or meat & two veg. It's just not right. However, I had to chuckle when I saw this guy, since Wes told me he saw a naked dude in the window across from his work, and had "gouged" his eyes out in response. An over-reaction, maybe, but funny all the same. I wonder if he used a spork... I compared notes with Wes, 4 windows over, and 4 down, it was the same guy!

Alright, that's all I've got. Really, how could I top a Quasi-Celeb & Nudity with anything else?

In My Absence...

I've been absent from my blog for quite some time, basically because I spend too much time in transit between home & work, and by the time I get home, I want to just crash. Also, I find that on weekends, if I'm not out with my friends, my family knows how to keep me quite busy as well.

Hell, I hadn't even updated when I got my co-op job back in September. Speaking of which, some details...

I was hired as the HR Assistant for this not for profit insurance company, owned by the church of England. How weird this must seem for everyone... me, working at an establishment owned by the church. I too, thought I would burst into flames... Surprisingly though, there's less religious tension at this job than there was at the depot. Originally, my contract was to expire on December 31 ('06), but I got an unofficial extension through until the end of March. Of course, this means my rate of pay remained unchanges, and that I would also remain ineligible for the paid benefits. The only reason why I agreed to stay is for the experience.

Even now, I doubt why I opted to stay, when I could've extracted myself cleanly from all the problems, back in December. Everything seems so unorganized, there's no communication, and the lines of authority are completely messed up beyond belief. It's pretty bad when you have to ask the GM for approval, before you can order a clock for the lunch room... At this point, even if they were to offer me a full time, salaried position, I would decline.

Thus, my job search begins again