Friday, July 28, 2006

Madness

Alright. Remember when I went on the chick lit stream and had the big "reading plan" tied in with the movie versions and recent book adaptations of Pride and Prejudice , continuing on to Canadian chick lit, etc yadda yadda??

And then there was the Hepburn obsession, where I had a Katherine Hepburn film fest night and then bought the box set of Audrey Hepburn and blah blah?

WELL.

It is time for a new obsessive compulsive tangent. It's been awhile since I obsessed about anything besides my peeing cat whose aversion to the terrifying world of the litter box could prove fatal, and in the interest of having conversations that don't revolve around urine, I decide to obsess for awhile about.... wait for it....

Othello.

Here's why. There's an Indian adaptation of Othello playing at my cheap theatre. On the web site they have a very nice run-down of some of the more famous adaptations. It made me giddy. SO. Here's how the excitement will play out.

But before I tell you, I have to warn you that when I use the word "excitement", you need to watch out. Because, my friends, it could lead to the kind of out-of-control, pee your pants, racous fun such as this.

OK. Now that you are forwarned, you may procede - but with caution. (Those with heart problems or high blood pressure may wish to do some deep breathing in preparation.)

So. First, I will re-read the grand-daddy, Shakespeare's Othello. Probably. Depending how lazy I am. Then I will watch Orson Welles' version, then Laurence Olivier's, then the 1995 one, then the 2001 version called "O", then Omkara, the Indian version. Good times baby!

Stop in your tracks exciting, I know. There's also a version at Stratford Festival this year, with nudity, but tickets cost $900 million, so I doubt I'll be going. But you never know. That would be very cool. And I've never been to Niagra Falls.

So maybe it's time for a road trip. And maybe I can get the Book-on-Tape for the drive, just to up the excitement level EVEN MORE.

I bet you wish you were here.


Excitement.

So the other day I was on the radio!!!! On our esteemed voice of the nation, the CBC!!!

I know!

You are dying to know why. I knew it.

OK so here it is. This post is the epidemy of excitement. If there was a picture of exciting in the dictionery? It would look like this:


Kim: GUESS WHAT. I was just on the CBC. (prounounced like this: SEEEE-be-see.)

Kraft Dinner: Really?!?! Why?

Kim: WELL. They had a phone-in show, and I called in!!

Kraft Dinner: Oh!! What was it about?

Kim: It was about "word origins"!!!!!

Kraft Dinner: Oh. my. god. You are SUCH a loser.



What?? Doesn't everyone squeal and bounce up and down in the drivers seat when they hear that there is a phone in show about word origins coming on? Duh! I was practically the FIRST one to call in!

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Burley's New Bikes!!!!!

The last couple of weeks I have been blessed by a stellar improvement in my fleet*. I am now the proudest owner of two of the nicest, bestest, coolest, beeeyooootifullest new bikes that I have ever seen. I have to by new sunglasses now, because I am. so. fast.

Unbeknownst to me, and well-known to everyone else in town, there has been a road bike in the works for me for months, and last weekend it was built and presented to me! It is my dream road bike. It is a Surly Cross Check** (black) with PINK handlebar tape. The components on it are beautiful. I have had a Surly t-shirt (the Surly girlie t) for about two years, and have always wanted a Surly bike. After all? It rhymes with Burley. And? They sell flasks for your bikes. So now, I'm going to go out and get myself a t-shirt for a single-engine Cessna and see what happens...

Then, knownst to me, I was getting a new downhill bike, but unbeknownst to me (and again, well-knownst to everyone else in town) was what kind (and most importantly, what color). Well, it finally arrived this week, and it's an amazing Giant Team DH (royal blue). Again, awesome components. Imagine how good I'm going to be now! (wink, wink...) It has so much travel in the shocks, that I can sit on my seat and go off a curb, and not even feel it. But it still handles like a dream. I've tried a lot of friends' big bikes, and the best one I ever tried (for me) was Sheila's - - - which is the '06 version of my new bike! Whoo Hoooo!

I am beside myself with excitement. I dream about bikes at night.

And the very cool and sweet thing, is that everything was a surprise. I'm not kidding, everyone knew what kind of DH bike I was getting, except me. And no one told. And everyone was excited for me and kept asking about it and nudging each other, with their big collective secret. And if someone didn't know, someone else whispered it in their ear, and then they'd grin and say "Ohhh, you're going to be so happy...!" Very cool. AND, everyone knew I was getting the new road bike, and NO ONE told me. I did not even know I was GETTING a new bike. I love my friends..... :-) :-) :-)


But the best part? The very best part?



Is the shiny new Salsa seat clamp. :-) I LOVE my friends.


* Pictures soon.
** In case you didn't guess, the Surly guys have a very ironic sense of humour. I don't wear that when I ride my Cross Check... :-) (or maybe I do...)

Carol Shields: Overrated???

I know, I have just spoken blasphemy. And for that, I am sorry. But let me explain.

The first chapters were good. Really, really, REALY good. I was mesmerized by her detailed descriptions of nothing - well - not nothing, but of just plain ole everyday life. I couldn't get enough. The language was rich and the details about ordinary stuff were so ... I dunno... striking. And beautiful.

Now I'm just meh.

I have been trying to figure out why. I know she's a genious and all that, but I don't really care about her characters all that much. They aren't terribly interesting. I dunno, maybe it just doesn't feel that relevant or identifiable to me... The main protagonist is old, and thinking back on her life, and welllllllll... it's just not grabbing me these days. I am wondering who cares.

I have a suspicion that I'm just needing to read some stuff that is more related to my life right now. Not that I always do, that's the joy of reading obviously, is reading about people who are not like you. But I dunno, maybe it's summer (lazy)... maybe it's that I'm so busy right now (wired and ADD), but I don't feel like reading about old ladies looking reflectively back on their lives. I need a bit more action, punch, sassiness. (Did I just say sassiness?????? Bleck.) But anyways, I bought (DON'T TELL ANYONE) a couple new books that are more summery. You know, pink covers, martini glasses, stillettos on the cover... Just kidding. (Not that I wouldn't mind, that sounds about exactly my speed right now.) But I do think the 2 I bought will hold my interest a bit better. I just couldn't really imagine reading the grandma book on the beach... I'll keep ya posted.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Best night ever!


KC and the Sunshine Band

Gloria Gaynor

Sista Sledge

Vodka yuckerflux snuck in to BluesFest...

Hot summer night, disco, 15000 of your closest friends....

Good times baby.

A.Ma.Zing.

Blues Fest.

Legend.

Couldn't breathe when she first started to sing...

Friday, July 14, 2006

ONE BIG DOG!


ONE BIG DOG!
Originally uploaded by TILT.

Holy Unicycle

Check out this kid - he's a Phat Moose sponsored rider. Very cool.

http://www.krisholm.com/sponsor/team/ryan.htm


Watch his video - he's amazing, one of the best in the world.

BOOKS: The Stone Diaries


They say Carol Shields is a great storyteller, a beautiful writer blah blah blah. People far more eloquent and interesting than I wax on about her and her amazing, insightful, sensitive storytelling, calling her "eligist of the everyday" etc.

Until now, I've never read her work. Guess what. They're right. She takes my breath away.

Summer is for laying in the grass. However...

Reading, watching, seeing... I haven’t written for ages. I finished Open by Lisa Moore and moved on to another Newfoundlander, Wayne Johnston. He wrote Colony of Unrequited Dreams, which I own, but haven’t read yet. I have just finished reading his The Divine Ryans, which is in the genre of stories told through a child’s perspective, like Paddy Clark, Ha, Ha, Ha by Roddy Doyle, and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue... and even To Kill a Mockingbird which I think is the gold standard of the “profound insights delivered through the innocence of a child” type book. I generally like this genre, but The Divine Ryans really stood out. It ends up being quite a dark book while still being funny, but not at all heavy - and there is one plot twist near the end that blew my mind. After that I felt like I wanted to go back and read the entire book over again.

As well, two nights ago I saw a movie that also fits into that genre, called Off the Map. Loved it. Beau is the best movie kid character that I think I can ever remember from a film. Smart, funny, energetic, long pigtails flowing behind her as she runs out to shoot bottles with a 22 at the dump, she is jaded to the life she has been brought up in (her parents live off the land with no electricity or plumbing, grow their own food) and when a tax collector visits them, she is enamoured with the trappings of the rat race (appointment books, briefcase, tie)... Loved it. did I mention that I loved it? I want to watch it again. And watch the special features.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

50 Books: One Bad Blogger

50 Books: One Bad Blogger

Coincidence????? Read the comments too. I swear, I am so annoyed by my writing lately! Plus, I just put so damn much energy into my job (which I do love, luckily) that by the end of the day I have spent every word I seem to have. Sometimes even my speaking becomes incoherent. Even lately at the many music shows I've been at, which usually inspire me to write (in fact, I usually have half the post written in my head before I even get home...), I don't even have the energy to think the post, let alone write it. Sad thing is, I MISS blogging. I LIKE writing. But it just takes so much energy to formulate a thought, throw in some wit (that's a matter of opinion), and then even SPELL... I just haven't. I promise to be back soon...


Monday, July 10, 2006

Music Music, I LOVE Summer


June
Blind Boys of Alabama - Ottawa Int'l Jazz Fest
Refugee All-Star Band of Sierra Leone - Ottawa Int'l Jazz Fest
Kiran Allejualliah - Ottawa Int'l Jazz Fest

July
Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans - Ottawa Blues Fest
Great Big Sea - Ottawa Blues Fest
Bonnie Rait - Ottawa Blues Fest
Keb-Mo - Ottawa Blues Fest
Thornetta Davis - Ottawa Blues Fest
Ani Difranco - Ottawa Blues Fest
Michael Franti - Ottawa Blues Fest
Soloman Burke - Ottawa Blues Fest
Be Good Tanyas - Ottawa Blues Fest
Etta James - Ottawa Blues Fest
John Lee Hooker Jr - Ottawa Blues Fest
KC and the Sunshine Band
Gloria Gaynor
Sister Sledge



(artist Dawn Tarr)

Chilling

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Overheard while walking behind 2 people who appeared to be on a first date

Overheard while walking behind 2 people who appeared to be on a first date:

Girl - Which side do you live on?

Guy - Uh, Sagitarius.

Girl - ...

Guy - Oh. Which SIDE?

Girl - Yeeeah. Which side of the street.

Guy - Oh. Uh. That one.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Love is Blind

Laura Bush: "You Don't See Good Polls On The Front Page"...

Posted on July 7, 2006 at 2:23 PM.

Intrerviewed with her husband on "Larry King Live" on Thursday night, Laura Bush once again charged that "good polls" for the president never end up on the front page.

She also said that she did not trust the polls at all, because polls that reveal the president's low approval rating "are not what we we when we travel around the country." She added: "As I told you before, you don't see good polls on the front page."

Read the full story »

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

It's totally NOT my Fault!

The grad trap

You’re not a slacker — it's the system

Generation Debt: Why Now is the Worst Time to be Young, by Anya Kamenetz

LINK

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Wish List Item # 7,456,812



The Bamboo Bike.

Seriously cool.