Owl City

LoveLi

Pretties

I woke up earlier than my alarm this morning, and after a quick potty break was about to dive back under the covers for another blissful 45 minutes of slumber when I my eyes were treated to the most beautiful sunrise coming through my window. It was one of those types of sights that is so unbelievably gorgeous you literally cannot move your gaze away without feeling wracked with guilt for taking nature's natural beauty for granted and knowing in some mysterious way that at some point in the subsequent hours of the day you will be smote down by god, having been deemed unfit for life. So, no going back to bed for me.

Then, on my way to work, I passed by some very pretty flowers, and again, pretty sure that if I didn't take a pic it would be the last time I'd ever see a pretty flower AGAIN, I made a fool of myself in front of the construction workers and city maintenance men wandering around near City Hall looking for something to do, and snapped a couple of shots. Love the lovely colours on what is, for all intents and purposes, a Monday morning.

Bleeding Love

This love thing is trickier than I thought it would be... 

So long, summer...

Flood

Josh, Kent, Lorraine, and I saw The Acorn perform at MacDougall United Church last night. They were opening for Bell Orchestre, so only played for about a half an hour, 45 minutes or so, but they put on the most incredible show we could have been there for 10 hours and not felt it! Except for the insufferable heat, that is. How they managed to achieve such a fullness and complexity of sound on a rickety little stage has me in awe of the band's abilities as musicians and performers. I'm SO glad we went :)

I love love love this band. And, I love love love the song that they are playing in the video above, called "Flood". If the camera work is a little shaky, that would be because a) I was trying to record with my camera while also watching the performance itself and couldn't find a comfortable way to position myself so that my arm didn't fall off; and b) I couldn't stop moving in my seat (pew?) because I was so caught up in the music!

Oh, and, my camera cuts out at the very end so I didn't catch the last minute. But, you get the idea. Buy their music. They are AMAZING.

Summer Snow

Someone could spend a lot of time making wishes on all this dandelion fluff :o)

Bits and Trips

Contrary to popular opinion, Farm Town isn't the ONLY thing that's kept me from updating my blog of late. Truth be told, there's been quite a few things happening in my little world - quite a few things involving quite a LOT of emotional turmoil. I tend to shy away from any sort of creative expression in times like these... firstly, because my general mood always taints everything I touch. And, secondly, I need space and a serious amount of elapsed time before I can get enough perspective on things to be able to share about them.

So, yeah. To avoid incomprehensible ramblings, I've simply avoided writing anything at all. But, today I'm feeling a tad gregarious, at least in a bloggy-type-way, so decided to put forth an update, of sorts.

This is the face of an allergy sufferer. See the redness under my poor little achy nose? PITY ME!! It's been about two months of constant sniffles and sneezes now, and I'm about ready to hang up my hat and just plain call it a day.

Someone started a fire in the dumpster behind my building. At least, I assume someone started it. Intentionally. Because I think everyone around me is secretly an arsonist. Waiting to slice open my achilles tendons and set me on fire when I least expect it.

Josh and I went to Elephant & Castle last Friday. I got the Bangers 'n' Mash because it sounded fun. When it came out, the first thought I had was, I need to get a picture of this for Kelley because this meal would make her ill on SO MANY LEVELS. So, here ya go, Kelley :o)

And, at some point when I wasn't quite paying attention, Edmonton bloomed... and along with it, my heart.

Spring!

Everything seems to be changing so quickly - I walk by a bud one day, and a bloom the next. These pretty flowers decorated a tree alongside the path I walk to and from work. They were so beautiful I had to try and get a good picture of them... they made me think of someone special ;)

View From the Top

So, thanks to some construction going on at the Coast Edmonton House, Lianna got a free upgrade to her suite. The result? This totally sweet view! Pretty beautiful, isn't it? Having someone visit from out of town really got me to view the city from a totally different perspective... instead of just passing through the usual kind of scenery, I got to experience every sight and sound through refreshed senses. Truthfully, there really isn't any other city I would rather live in than Edmonton. And, I feel pretty lucky that I get to call it home.

Of course, there are some things (or some ones) that other cities have that would entice me to make a move I wouldn't otherwise consider...

Girl Power

My favourite music in the last little while seems to be coming from female artists - how refreshing! It seems like there are periods in my life where all I listen to are dudes, dude-bands, etc. But not of late! Here are my top five songs for 2009 so far:

1. If I Can't Have You - Kelly Clarkson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt5cpJSV5QM
2. Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjROtu0ajR0
Roisin Murphy has a wicked, wicked voice and a crazy personality! I chose this video because you can hear the song really well, which is the point, plus these random dancers are kind of fun to watch. But if you want to see Roisin Murphy sing it, there are a bunch of live performances on youtube. Just don't judge her by her outfits!
3. Hoedown Throwdown - Hannah Montana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlnbmZK7GxU
Can't help it - I'm addicted!
4. L.D.N - Lily Allen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p_V0y7C9vc
I kind of love Lily Allen, and this song is adorable and catchy and fun and cheeky. Plus, the video is fab. If you like it, check out this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYb9pkJqZf4&NR=1
5. Breakable - Ingrid Michaelson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgZ_tu8s5Wk&feature=related
It is awfully hard to pick one Ingrid Michaelson song as a favourite because I pretty much love every single one of her songs and she has fast become my favourite female vocalist. Enjoy!

On The Way There

Just a picture I took from the plane on the way to Las Vegas. The little winky glint at the top is the moon. It was just a sliver then, but on the way back last night/uber-early this morning the moon was a huge gorgeous crescent. I would have snapped a pic of it but my camera battery was dead and Dani's camera was tucked away in her carry-on. I would have asked for her to dig it out but she was pretty busy freaking out in the seat next to me. A little turbulence managed to turn her into a wreck in mere nanoseconds... which, as far as sights go, almost made up for not getting a tangible memory of what it's like to fly alongside the moon.

John William Waterhouse

This was the first painting I saw by John William Waterhouse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Waterhouse). It was featured in a medieval romance calendar and, true to form, I completely fell in love with it. Then, while working at Chapters I came across a coffee-table art book of all his works, and went through a period where all I could do was rhapsodize about the beauty he created. I much prefer realist art to abstract art (MUCH) so the fact that each of his subjects seems as if he or she could step right out of the canvas appeals to me greatly. I love that he uses such lush imagery, so much beautiful colour... his paintings are so passionate, but elegant. I also adore that most of his works are based on either mythological characters and stories or characters from epic poems and other forms of literature. His paintings of Ophelia are soul-stirringly gorgeous.

My all-time favourite, though, is Boreas:

Every time I look at this painting (at least, the pixelated version) I can feel the brush of the wind across my cheek, the texture of the billowing fabric sweeping against my arm... I can hear the rush of the breeze through the long grass, and imagine the slight warmth from the overcast sun. I also find a little of myself in the melancholy expression on the woman's face - though obviously she's much prettier and as perfect as all of Waterhouse's subjects - because whlie she looks a bit sad and a bit lost, two emotions that I can relate to, she also looks like she feels an awful lot, and if there's anything I do, and do well, it's feel.

New Song Love

"The Stars Just Blink for Us" by Say Hi. It's not a real video, just the song played over a picture of the album cover. The song is the important part, anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYyrJ3NCNX8

Oh and the stars, oh and the stars, they don't make no fuss...
Oh and the stars, oh and the stars, well, they just blink for us...

Good Music - Not Just for Listening To

I love this song, and love love love this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2XREBNiDZE

It's from The Acorn's album "Glory Hope Mountain" which was inspired by the lead band member's Honduras-born mother Gloria Esperanza Montoya. My friend Jill turned me on to these guys... it's amazing music. The above, though, is my absolute favourite.

Hawksley Burns for Isadora

In 2002, Hawksley published a book (see the picture I took of my copy, complete with grubby fingerprints, above) -- in it is a series of letters written to a woman he calls Isadora. The letters aren't exactly poetry, but aren't plain old prose, either. It's quite beautiful, and sensual, and full of real images that are somehow abstracted in the way he describes them. And, there are some spectacularly lovely phrases that just take my breath away. The following passage is one of those. The last line is my absolute favourite, and sums up my feelings on love rather nicely, I think.

Isadora, I'm your earth-bound candy treat. I'm simple. I'm the one who needs a snorkel to breathe underwater. I'm the one with a wagon-load of shoe polish and peas. I'm all appetite and envy. I'm all for you, strapped by tightly wound ropes to fire and stones. I'm brisk, winter, lemon icicles melting to drop on your tongue. I know the dance moves and destinations but long for the journey with you.

Another of my favourite passages:

You sleep underwater with the stones, making love in your perfect ways. I wish to be your favorite stone. So quiet I'm not there. A lover so dear, you would abandon all else. A quiet so quiet that you have never heard.
Such quiet it could lull a clumsy, ugly world to sleep in its arms.

For Li

And if the earth has forgotten you

Say to the still earth: I am flowing.

To the rushing waters say: I am.

- Rilke