Posts
Forgive me, dear readers, as I have been most inattentive this year. It's been a time of healing, which rightfully should have included blog posts as part of that healing, but it seems as though my procrastination genes have been kicked into overdrive ...
Forgive me also for the fact that this is not a "real" blog post, but rather a shameless plug for my dear friend, Phoebe (she of "Herding Cats" fame), who has been nominated as one of the best blogs of 2013 over on babble.com
http://www.babble.com/babble-100/babble-100-readers-choice/phoebe-holmes/#comment-2261662
Please, check her out- she very much deserves not only this nomination, but an award, too!
If her name sounds familiar, it should be- I've blogged about her before.
Showing posts with label humour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humour. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
House Concert
Earlier this week, my friend Damien invited me to a house concert at which his artwork would be featured. The concert took place last night.
I love going to house concerts- the energy is amazing! Smaller crowds and familiar settings make for a very intimate experience, and usually afford one the opportunity to speak directly with the performer(s).
Historically, the house concerts I have attended have all been at the home of friends who live in the neighbourhood I grew up in; this meant a chance to pop in and visit my parents for a bit before the show, the comfort of "going home", so to speak, and of course, an excuse to visit with some wonderful people with whom I don't get to spend nearly enough time ...
This house concert would be different- first of all, Damien is a visual artist; I'd not seen a static display done at a house concert before- interesting. Of course, with a group name like "The North End Artists' Collective", having a visual artist at a house concert doesn't seem all that odd.
Secondly, while the hostess and I are acquainted with one another, I'd certainly never been in her home before (this sort of thing is pushing the envelope a little, for me, I'm rather shy).
Thirdly (and perhaps best of all) ...
The concert was two blocks from my home. Walking distance- wow! As it happens, I went over to a friend's house (there's safety in numbers, when you're stepping outside the comfort zone, even if it's only a little bit), and we walked to the concert together.
Before I start going into details: Best evening in ages.
First of all, apart from Damien, I wasn't familiar with the performers. I knew one of them vaguely from Boo's school, but the musician was new to me.
I admit I was a little nervous ("what if I don't like her style of music?"), but with my friend by my side, I ventured forth.
The parent I knew from the school, Kim, performed scenes from her Fringe show. Oh. My. Goodness. She had the entire houseful (we were spread out across three rooms and a hallway!) in stitches with her very direct, sometimes graphic, incredibly honest monologues about marriage, sex and the 'joys' of womanhood. Some of her words might have made people squirm, simply because while many of us have probably had the very same experiences as she was describing, most of us are 'too embarrassed' to admit out loud what she was willing to say on-stage. Brilliantly witty.
Her performance was interspersed with songs by the musical performer, Harmony Parent, whose style, I am happy to report, I truly emjoyed. Her voice was full and powerful- she had excellent pitch, and a keen eye and ear for her audience. Her guitar-playing was not perfection, but it was decent, and she made no claims to being the next Liona Boyd, sharing with her appreciative audience how she had started playing the guitar about 10 years ago- self-taught.
She had a CD of her music for sale, and by the time she was halfway through her first song, I had decided I would be buying it.
Heck, I'd also decided I would love to sing *with* her sometime... But that's a dream for another post.
There was a brief intermission, during which people circulated through the kitchen to get refreshments and snacks (the invite said "BYOB and a snack to share"- there was no shortage of either).
During the intermission, I managed to grab a hug from and catch up with Damien- thanks to the magic of facebook, we are frequently in contact, but as is so often the case these days, rarely actually see one another face-to-face. His artwork is beautiful, he has a good eye for seeing and celebrating the divine feminine. But don't just take my word for it, check it out for yourself!
My friend who accompanied me to the concert introduced me to her neighbour, and her neighbour's friend (another neighbour). Nothing odd about that, of course, it's always wonderful to meet other people from The 'Hood.
What took me by surprise, however, was how they reacted when she introduced me; they knew my name?!
Well, more correctly, they knew me by one of my titles.
"Oh!" they exclaimed, "You're Boo's Mum?!" Turns out, both of them have worked in the school for a number of years, and they have both gotten to know Mr. "I am not a Drama Guy". He makes quite an impression on people, I knew that, but apparently not just on us, (his family). As a matter of fact, the lovely ladies were incredulous when I mentioned we'd only been living in the neighbourhood for 3 years ... (this came up after they'd asked the names of our older children- and were surprised to only recognise one).
It's really interesting to see your children through the eyes of other people ...
As I said previously, one of the nice things about house concerts is the opportunity to meet the performers in a relaxed, informal setting. I was not only able to speak with Damien, but also with Harmony, and Kim, too!
Since Kim and I have seen one another at school functions, starting a conversation was fairly easy "Nice to finally meet you!" ...
She asked me how many children I had at the school, what grades they were in, etc.
"Oh, wait, you're Boo's Mum?!" that took me aback, but before I could even ask how it was she already knew him, she turned to her husband, introducing me to him as "Boo's Mum". She then turned back to me, and said "Boo is friends with our son, J--"
Now it was my turn- "Oh, you're J's Mum? Oh, that's too funny ... I gather they're working on a film together ... "
Sounds like the "tying up the loose ends" you'd see in a TV series or film, doesn't it?
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.
On top of being a fantastic performance, it was enlightening to learn that my youngest son is something of a neighbourhood celebrity ...
I love going to house concerts- the energy is amazing! Smaller crowds and familiar settings make for a very intimate experience, and usually afford one the opportunity to speak directly with the performer(s).
Historically, the house concerts I have attended have all been at the home of friends who live in the neighbourhood I grew up in; this meant a chance to pop in and visit my parents for a bit before the show, the comfort of "going home", so to speak, and of course, an excuse to visit with some wonderful people with whom I don't get to spend nearly enough time ...
This house concert would be different- first of all, Damien is a visual artist; I'd not seen a static display done at a house concert before- interesting. Of course, with a group name like "The North End Artists' Collective", having a visual artist at a house concert doesn't seem all that odd.
Secondly, while the hostess and I are acquainted with one another, I'd certainly never been in her home before (this sort of thing is pushing the envelope a little, for me, I'm rather shy).
Thirdly (and perhaps best of all) ...
The concert was two blocks from my home. Walking distance- wow! As it happens, I went over to a friend's house (there's safety in numbers, when you're stepping outside the comfort zone, even if it's only a little bit), and we walked to the concert together.
Before I start going into details: Best evening in ages.
First of all, apart from Damien, I wasn't familiar with the performers. I knew one of them vaguely from Boo's school, but the musician was new to me.
I admit I was a little nervous ("what if I don't like her style of music?"), but with my friend by my side, I ventured forth.
The parent I knew from the school, Kim, performed scenes from her Fringe show. Oh. My. Goodness. She had the entire houseful (we were spread out across three rooms and a hallway!) in stitches with her very direct, sometimes graphic, incredibly honest monologues about marriage, sex and the 'joys' of womanhood. Some of her words might have made people squirm, simply because while many of us have probably had the very same experiences as she was describing, most of us are 'too embarrassed' to admit out loud what she was willing to say on-stage. Brilliantly witty.
Her performance was interspersed with songs by the musical performer, Harmony Parent, whose style, I am happy to report, I truly emjoyed. Her voice was full and powerful- she had excellent pitch, and a keen eye and ear for her audience. Her guitar-playing was not perfection, but it was decent, and she made no claims to being the next Liona Boyd, sharing with her appreciative audience how she had started playing the guitar about 10 years ago- self-taught.
She had a CD of her music for sale, and by the time she was halfway through her first song, I had decided I would be buying it.
Heck, I'd also decided I would love to sing *with* her sometime... But that's a dream for another post.
There was a brief intermission, during which people circulated through the kitchen to get refreshments and snacks (the invite said "BYOB and a snack to share"- there was no shortage of either).
During the intermission, I managed to grab a hug from and catch up with Damien- thanks to the magic of facebook, we are frequently in contact, but as is so often the case these days, rarely actually see one another face-to-face. His artwork is beautiful, he has a good eye for seeing and celebrating the divine feminine. But don't just take my word for it, check it out for yourself!
My friend who accompanied me to the concert introduced me to her neighbour, and her neighbour's friend (another neighbour). Nothing odd about that, of course, it's always wonderful to meet other people from The 'Hood.
What took me by surprise, however, was how they reacted when she introduced me; they knew my name?!
Well, more correctly, they knew me by one of my titles.
"Oh!" they exclaimed, "You're Boo's Mum?!" Turns out, both of them have worked in the school for a number of years, and they have both gotten to know Mr. "I am not a Drama Guy". He makes quite an impression on people, I knew that, but apparently not just on us, (his family). As a matter of fact, the lovely ladies were incredulous when I mentioned we'd only been living in the neighbourhood for 3 years ... (this came up after they'd asked the names of our older children- and were surprised to only recognise one).
It's really interesting to see your children through the eyes of other people ...
As I said previously, one of the nice things about house concerts is the opportunity to meet the performers in a relaxed, informal setting. I was not only able to speak with Damien, but also with Harmony, and Kim, too!
Since Kim and I have seen one another at school functions, starting a conversation was fairly easy "Nice to finally meet you!" ...
She asked me how many children I had at the school, what grades they were in, etc.
"Oh, wait, you're Boo's Mum?!" that took me aback, but before I could even ask how it was she already knew him, she turned to her husband, introducing me to him as "Boo's Mum". She then turned back to me, and said "Boo is friends with our son, J--"
Now it was my turn- "Oh, you're J's Mum? Oh, that's too funny ... I gather they're working on a film together ... "
Sounds like the "tying up the loose ends" you'd see in a TV series or film, doesn't it?
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.
On top of being a fantastic performance, it was enlightening to learn that my youngest son is something of a neighbourhood celebrity ...
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The things they say ... Instalment #1
Sometimes, the things the Minions of Chaos come out with leave me perplexed. At other times, frustrated.
But most often, amused. Here is one such example, a recent conversation I had with 'Boo', our youngest (he of the Epic Concert evening).
First, a teeny bit of 'backstory';
I am a member of the volunteer executive for our Community Centre, and on Monday evening, we had our monthly meeting.
One of the items was a report on the progress of a *free* drama programme being run out of the centre, geared specifically to 9-12 year olds. Since our Littlest Man is always telling stories with a dramatic flair and seems to enjoy hamming it up in general, I perked up when they mentioned there was still room in the class. It even falls on a night which doesn't conflict with Karate, Police Cadets, or his print-making class ...
"Wow!" I thought, "This would be perfect for Boo! Hope he's still awake when I get home, I can't wait to ask him about signing up!". I could even hear and picture his exuberant response ...
As it happened, he was still awake when I returned home. In fact, he came downstairs when he heard me come in ...
"Hey, Buddy! How would you like to go to a Drama class at the Community Centre on Thursday evenings?"
His response was not the enthusiastic "Awesome!" I had anticipated.
And here is where I will heed the advice of Mark Twain, and rather than say "The old woman screamed", I will "bring her on, and let her scream."
"No!" he said, without a second's hesitation. My surprise must have been quite evident, as he immediately followed up with;
"It's not really My 'Thing', Mum. I'm not a 'Drama Guy' ... :::: sigh :::: ", he completed this statement with an eye roll, too.
Nope, you're not dramatic at all, Boo, not even a little bit ... ;-)
Man, sometimes this parenting gig is just awesome.
But most often, amused. Here is one such example, a recent conversation I had with 'Boo', our youngest (he of the Epic Concert evening).
First, a teeny bit of 'backstory';
I am a member of the volunteer executive for our Community Centre, and on Monday evening, we had our monthly meeting.
One of the items was a report on the progress of a *free* drama programme being run out of the centre, geared specifically to 9-12 year olds. Since our Littlest Man is always telling stories with a dramatic flair and seems to enjoy hamming it up in general, I perked up when they mentioned there was still room in the class. It even falls on a night which doesn't conflict with Karate, Police Cadets, or his print-making class ...
"Wow!" I thought, "This would be perfect for Boo! Hope he's still awake when I get home, I can't wait to ask him about signing up!". I could even hear and picture his exuberant response ...
As it happened, he was still awake when I returned home. In fact, he came downstairs when he heard me come in ...
"Hey, Buddy! How would you like to go to a Drama class at the Community Centre on Thursday evenings?"
His response was not the enthusiastic "Awesome!" I had anticipated.
And here is where I will heed the advice of Mark Twain, and rather than say "The old woman screamed", I will "bring her on, and let her scream."
"No!" he said, without a second's hesitation. My surprise must have been quite evident, as he immediately followed up with;
"It's not really My 'Thing', Mum. I'm not a 'Drama Guy' ... :::: sigh :::: ", he completed this statement with an eye roll, too.
Nope, you're not dramatic at all, Boo, not even a little bit ... ;-)
Man, sometimes this parenting gig is just awesome.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
And one last blog to share:
I said I was going to share four blogs I enjoy this week, and it took me a while to get the last one up (life is what happens when you're busy making other plans, right?).
Anyhow, the fourth blog I really enjoy reading is another extremely popular blog. This blog may not change the world with deep political insight, but she just might do so with laughter.
Amber is the author of "Crappy Pictures". It is, quite simply, a peek at the day-to-day life of a blogging goddess and her two small children- illustrated, with crappy pictures. Take a peek, you won't regret it!
Anyhow, the fourth blog I really enjoy reading is another extremely popular blog. This blog may not change the world with deep political insight, but she just might do so with laughter.
Amber is the author of "Crappy Pictures". It is, quite simply, a peek at the day-to-day life of a blogging goddess and her two small children- illustrated, with crappy pictures. Take a peek, you won't regret it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
