And… We’re Back

Yes people, I know you’ll find this hard to believe – especially since I’ve made more than just a few empty promises in the last couple of months (and also, it’s been so long that I couldn’t remember how to log in to my account)…. but I am finally BACK! Why? Well first of all, why the hell not? Secondly, I’m a writer and writers write. Thirdly, there are actually people who have been harassing me to write. Imagine – me being the harassee, instead of the harasser. Shocking, I know. Lastly, I’m back because my good friend Jill over at Thypolarlife has bestowed upon me, an award. An AWARD people! It’s so nice to know that some people value my presence in their lives as well as in the blogosphere (especially when said blogger has been AWOL for umm…. a few months). Thank you Jill – you rock!

Now, in order to accept/pass on this award, I need to answer a few questions. Usually I skip that part and pretend I didn’t know about it, but this is my big comeback so I figure I should at least make the effort. But first, this is what the award looks like:

Clearly, I rock.

Admittedly, it’s a lovely award. But I much prefer this image – which, if you know me/have read me, you will agree, is much more befitting:

 

Alrighty, let’s get on with the Q&A portion of the show. This should be educational for anyone who is just ‘meeting’ me. Oh wait, does anyone even know I exist? Anyway, moving along…

1) Favorite color: It took me seven years to pick a paint color for my yoga room because I have a fear of committing to colors =-D  But in general, I’m a blue or orange kinda gal. Except when it comes to clothes – I prefer black for that slimming effect.

2) Favorite animal: I’ve got two – dogs and elephants. My favorite dog is the German Shepherd, and I currently have a black, long-haired girly-girl who goes by the name of Tosca (yes, she’s a German Shepherd even though she’s black as night).  I also love elephants because to me, they are calm, peaceful and serene creatures with their own unique personalities. Also, I’ve always felt an affinity toward the Hindu God, Ganesh. Of course, he’s a whole other kind of elephant ’cause he’s got four arms and wears jewelry.

3) Favorite number: I can’t say I really have one. Whenever I receive one of those chain emails that I only fill out if I’m bored, I always pick 2 to avoid having to send the damn thing to 500 people.

4) Favorite non-alcoholic beverage: I’ve grown quite fond of Lattes in my not-so-old age. Skim, no foam and extra hot!

5) Facebook or Twitter: Both promote social voyeurism and feed many peoples’ egos. Both annoy the shit out of me. Having said that, I guess I’ll go with Facebook, only because I look at my page more often then I Tweet. But Twitter is less annoying.

6) My passion: Do I really have to answer this? Music, of course! Namely, U2 – but my musical interests are extremely diversified and I do consider my knowledge to be above par. In addition to music, writing and photography + my yoga practice are equal passions.

7) Getting or Giving Presents: I love to give presents, but I suck at keeping gifts a surprise. It’s like the 5-year old inside of me is dying to get out each and every time – if I can make it to gift day without spilling the beans, it’s a real miracle (ask my mom). But, I also love to receive presents. I think I should receive more. OK people, what are you waiting for?

8) Favorite pattern: Umm…. I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve reached the age where patterns matter – but I agree with Thypolar: male-patterned baldness is definitely up there. Oh, I do like the pattern of my middle finger when I flip off arseholes. Does that count?

9) Favorite Day of the Week: One where I’m not at work. ‘Nuff said.

10) Favorite Flower: Gerber daisies. They’ve got so much punch, it’s impossible not to love’em. Plus they smell good.

And this concludes my Award acceptance Q&A. In my next post (yes, there will be another – maybe even this week!), I’ll catch y’all up on what I’ve been doing instead of blogging. In the meantime, spread the word – the train-hater is back!

To conclude my first post of 2012 (and hopefully not my last), I’m going to nominate these 3 fellow bloggers:

Jamie over at All Things Finkybee because she’s got spunk and is almost as sarcastic as me.

Jinny over at Peddler of Dreams because she’s full of sunshine, all the time.

Bram over at Connect to the Sky because he is the light. Bram is too cool to accept the award but I’m still giving it to him. More on Bram in upcoming posts (you are in t-r-o-u-b-l-e…..!).

 

In Retrospect – 9/11 and Humanity

I’m a few days late in posting this, but truth be told, I forgot all about this until I started going through my portfolio earlier this week. After re-reading it, I think it’s worth sharing with my readers. I wrote this shortly after 9/11; I haven’t edited or changed this in any way, as it accurately expresses my sentiments based on the story that was shared with me at that time.

So, my friend S went to NYC for the first time ever. Never been before and was eager to check it out. She arrives with her younger sister and they feel a little afraid since they have no clue where they are. Understandable would you say? Sure. As I understand it, they dumped off their gear in a youth hostel and just began walking. If you’ve ever been to NYC, you’ll know that it’s much more fun (and less stressful) to walk – take in the sites, and not miss out on anything that would merely be a blur, should you opt for one of those life-threatening cab rides.

S and & company walk for hours – six, to be precise. She stops in front of a church. A memorial service is being held, and S assumes
this has something to do with the 9/11 tragedy. She was right. It was very sad she said, to see mourners, mingled with photographs of the deceased or missing. S keeps walking, and accidentally finds herself at Ground Zero. Shock and horror stop her cold, as she stares at the heap of rubble looming before her. A quick gathering of thoughts allows her to focus on the number of people lingering around the ‘scene’ where the incident occurred almost four months ago.

Tourists and spectators alike, cameras in hand, search for the “perfect spot” in which to take a photograph, and, when uncertain, they stop a brother in blue, to inquire “Is THIS the best spot officer?” S walks away in tears, emotionally aghast at this obvious lack of respect for the thousands who died on 9/11. Disgusting.

That such a tragedy occurred, that it not only affected ONE nation, but many – that this should be trivialized by tourists looking for a good shot is abhorent. It is sickening to think that human beings can be so uncaring and oblivious to this tragedy. While I can understand a person’s curiosity to see the site for themselves, I cannot understand what would posess anyone to stand before it, and take pictures, as though it were the Eiffel Tower. While the heap is massive, there is nothing GRAND about it. While it burned, there was nothing exciting in it. While the twin towers collapsed to the ground in billowing clouds of smoke, there was nothing dramatic about it. Tragic, yes. Hollywood drama, no.

And imagine, how that cop felt, when someone asked him if that was the best spot to take the picture. Imagine the thoughts that ran through his mind, as he stared at the person in front of him, when all he could see were the fading images of his brothers and sisters. Was it the best spot?

 

10 Years Later….

9/11 Tiles

This is just one of thousands of tiles that were received from around the world, following the 9/11 attacks.

To see what I wrote on September 11th of last year, click here.

 

Today, we remember.

 

Jean Paul, Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about the jean Paul Gaultier exhibit being held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts – you can check out the original post here to read my pseudo review. These are the remaining pics that I took (sadly via BlackBerry).  So, do we like these more or less than yesterday’s? Are we feeling wowed by the pieces that were chosen for this exhibit?

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And this concludes our section on fashion.

Peace y’all,

A

 

Jean Paul, Part 1

I should start this post with a disclaimer: I am not a fashionista. I know fuck all about fashion, but I do know what looks good and what looks bad. While I may not be fashion-forward, I do pride myself on not looking like a fool when I leave the house. Check out this etiquette post to see whom I consider to have no fashion sense whatsoever (but beware the sarcasm and cursing – my trademark!).

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is currently hosting The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, and I decided to check it out to see what all the hype was about. Gaultier is a well-known fashion icon, particularly known for his eccentric and artistic creations. That being said,  I expected to be a little more ‘wowed’ by this exhibit but sadly, was not. The exhibit was visually interesting, to be sure, but rather than beautiful, extravagant pieces of clothing, I found the collections to be a little bland. Each time I try to think of the best way to describe my feelings toward this exhibit, all that comes to mind is the word ‘dusty.’

The museum dedicated five rooms to display pieces from a variety of Gaultier’s collections. There were a few things that annoyed me about the exhibit besides the rude fuckers who kept pushing me or walking in front of me when I was trying to take pics. Clearly the self-professed fashion elitists were out and no one else existed in their universe, but them. Anyway.  The most annoying thing about the exhibit was the constant talking – there was audio everywhere. Much of it was associated to specific mannequins, while the rest was random mumbo jumbo that was played in each room. Yak, yak, yak – I felt like I was in a bloody asylum. Needless to say that this aspect of the exhibit was quite distracting to myself and my date. That being said, I did get a good laugh when I walked into the third room, because I was greeted by the sound of a bird cackling. The bird in question was a mannequin sporting a feathered top, and she sounded a little nuts. Reminded me of myself. Moving along…. I was also not a fan of the lighting used in this exhibit; while the rooms were dimly lit (isn’t the point of this exhibit to display the intricacies of each piece?), in some cases, I just felt like the light was  too harsh. I don’t know if it was the fabric or colors of the pieces that were being displayed, or the positioning of the lights, but it didn’t work for me. Perhaps the curators didn’t consider lighting when they set up the exhibit…. seems this would be a key factor but I digress.

Anyway, this isn’t so much  a review of the exhibit, but a post to share some of the pics I took. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home so had to use my BlackBerry – you’ll have to excuse the graininess and crazy contrast. So, have a look at Part 1 (Part 2 pics to come tomorrow) and let me know what you think. Do you love what you see? Or do these pieces leave you feeling indifferent? How do you feel about the lighting? Share your input!

Photo: RAnnDomized

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By far, one of my favorites :-p

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Check back tomorrow to see the last set of pics – unless of course, you really hated these ones :-p

 

Peace,
A

Living it Up, 360 Style

Picking up where I left off yesterday – let’s talk space ships!

After securing our U2 tickets in 2009 for the Montreal shows, my sistah (SJ) insisted that I send her tickets to Toronto, via Canada Post. I was hesitant to do this because we were talking about U2 tickets here – what if they mysteriously went AWOL? Well as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened. When I mailed them out, I wrote down the wrong door number – one that was non-existent. Clearly my dyslexia was acting up when I wrote out the address, but regardless, Canada Post is responsible for delivering mail to addresses that actually exist – not the next best thing. Instead, for reasons that still boggle my mind, the mailman delivered  the tickets to the nearest door number (can you say DUH?), and what ensued was a month of back and forth with CP, on the whereabouts of those damn tickets. Not that we were STRESSED OUT or anything! When SJ left a note in the mail room, asking if anyone had mistakenly received an envelope meant for her, a neighbor responded: he/she had popped the package back in the mail – I was immediately suspicious of this. Of course, the tickets never showed up, and we were refunded by CP. Luckily, we were able to get the tickets reprinted. Twice.

Fast forward to 2011, one week before the show; SJ asks N if she has her ticket for July 8th. N tells SJ that I have it. SJ asks me to confirm. I tell her that I don’t have it – that I sent her a reprinted ticket for the 9th and that N has the one for the 8th. Dear Lord, here we go again. N insisted that she didn’t have an extra ticket for the 8th and I insisted that the only extra damn ticket I had, was for the 9th. I asked SJ to check the date on the ticket that she DID have, and she confirmed that it was for the 9th . Long story short: N had the ticket for the 8th reprinted AGAIN – only to realize that she’d had the original reprinted ticket all along. Not that we panicked or anything. Moving along….

On July 7th, various friends began converging upon Montreal via plane, train and speeding automobiles, from the US and Canada (U2ing is serious business people). That day, I was bombarded with text messages, emails, Facebook messages and BBMs about the line-up shituation, and I reached the point where I wanted to gently lie my BlackBerry on the ground then jump up and down on it. Unfortunately,  I had to work that day, so wasn’t able to go to the venue until that evening. Rumor had it that U2 fans had been lining up since the night of the 6th so I was stressing out about how long the line would be when we finally got there.  After picking up the girls, we finally headed to the Hippodrome to get our numbers. Disaster.  I was #253! My golden rule was broken – I was way past the #150 mark! Of course, when I later considered that 80,000 people would be attending the show, I decided that #253 wasn’t so bad after all.  The line organizers instructed us to come back at 4 a.m. to check in, and advised us that anyone who wasn’t present at that time, would be bumped out of the line. Fuck man, 4 a.m.? There went my beauty sleep!

We got 2.5 hours of sleep that night, but were back in line for the 4 a.m. check-in. It was still dark out people. I could barely see through my tired eyeballs and I had a migraine. Anyway, after making an appearance and confirming that the line would be moved at 6 a.m., we drove Mo (my car, not the rabbit) to the hotel, and walked back to the site (we’ d lucked out the night before as the hotel had a room available and we grabbed it). We returned to the site equipped with chairs, Gatorade, water and granola bars (if I never see one of THOSE again, it won’t be soon enough for me), and waited. Around 6 a.m., we were asked to get back in line in numerical order so that roll call could begin. As the line organizer began going through the list, a police van drove by, blasting U2 – fabulous! Even the cops supported our obsession! When all was said and done, we went from being #253-254-255 to #180-181-182. Now that’s more like it! And thus began a very long day in the infamous GA line….

Security moved us onto the site around 8-9 a.m. after checking everyone’s tickets, and we settled down for the day. It was incredibly hot – close to 30-degrees, and very, very sunny. Our fellow crazies had brought an assortment of chairs, umbrellas, sunscreen, hats, food, beverages, card games – needless to say that we were all pretty equipped and ready to share with our neighbors, and it was obvious that many of us had done this before. As with most GA lines, you meet plenty of people, and this is one of the things that I love most about the U2 community. By the end of the day, you’ve seen old friends whom you haven’t seen since the last tour,  you’ve met new friends that you’ll have for life, you’ve shared your vast GA knowledge with newbies who now regard you as their U2 mentor (hi Khine!) and you’ve enthusiastically shared your U2 stories with someone who will be experiencing a show for the very first time <squeal!>. You’ve plotted where the best spot on the floor will be, you’ve used your fair share of porto-potties, been sunburned and bitten, sweat like a hog and eaten way too many granola bars. You’ve heard the band sound-check and cheered with your fellow fans, you’ve burst into song as the hours passed, and you’ve run like you’ve never run before, once you got through those gates. What other band inspires that?

Finally, after a long, scorcher of a day, it was time to head inside the venue. Security began ‘the process’ around 4pm, and I have to give them props for maintaining the order of the line and kicking line-cutters back to where they belonged. Additionally, they did a pretty good job with sending us on site in batches, and maintaining the order of the madness. Now for the fun part.

After you’re scanned in and instructed not to run – well, you run your ass off because you have a goal (the goal is SOUL people). You know exactly where you want to be on the floor and nothing/no one is going to stop you from being on the outer rail, center stage, slightly to the left on Adam’s side where the walkway comes out… What? I had a specific destination in mind! SJ sprinted and I lost sight of her, so I ended up going into the pit (a.k.a: the inner circle) with N. I chose the back rail as my ‘spot.’ After settling into my prime location, I turned around to find Jake, Khine and SJ on the outer rail right behind me. I decided to go out and join them but was stopped by security – those bastards trapped me in the pit and I was unable to leave! Damn them and their stupid nonsensical rules! In addition to being trapped in ‘the hole’ as I like to call it,  we weren’t allowed to sit down while waiting for the show to start. Considering that we’d been in line all day, and U2 were only coming on around 9pm, this was pretty hard on our bodies. Didn’t these people realize I’d been in line for 18 damn hours? I had also been nursing a skull ache all day, and was starting to feel a little lightheaded – something I resolved by making a makeshift turban out of N’s shirt. It was during the 5.5 hour wait for U2 to come on, that I decided not to line up the next day, but rather watch the show from the back. I was dead tired, my body ached, and there was no way I was getting up at 3 a.m. for another check-in.

Fast-forward to U2

As daylight ended, the 360 crew began setting up the band’s equipment. We watched as Dallas Schoo tuned Edge’s guitar, and as the infamous Rocco ran frantically around the stage, making sure everything was as it should be. As the last crew members left the stage, Bowie’s Space Oddity began to play. Those of us who had already been to a 360 show, knew what that meant: SHOWTIME!

The energy in the pit suddenly increased tenfold and the level of excitement was palpable as fans in the bleachers went wild. We watched the four members of U2 make their way toward the stage via the LED screen, the crowd in a frenzy. As the band members stepped on-stage, the crowd erupted in what can only be described as a VERY warm welcome – one that is unique to Montreal and that cannot be matched by any other city, except perhaps, Dublin. It was obvious that Bono and the boys were thrilled to be back in Montreal – one of their favorite show cities – and they kick-started the show with Even Better Than the Real Thing. Oh. My. GOD. I SO was not expecting this to be the show opener! My immediate reaction was to start jumping as I let out the infamous Bedouin call (did you expect anything less?). Those of you who know me, know that Achtung Baby is my favorite album of all time – so I was positively ecstatic to hear several songs off this album. Other song highlights for me, were I Will Follow, Elevation, Scarlet, Zooropa, Crazy and Moment of Surrender. Scarlet is a song from the band’s October album, that most of us have never heard live so this was a real treat. Bono sang this as a tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been under house arrest in Burma for 15 years, and who was finally  released. Bono chose to speak to the crowd in French, which was lovely and comical, if nothing else. It was an incredible night, a very loud night, that ended with Moment of Surrender. As the band closed out the song, it began to rain lightly; Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry stepped out from behind their instruments and walked to the front of the stage, where they sang Rain. Just as they finished, amidst a frenzy of screaming fans, the sky literally opened up and the rain began coming down in torrents. It felt like we were being hit with pellets – it was cold and nasty, and the wind was insane! I actually wondered if we were going to get hit with some kind of post-U2 tornado! So imagine if you will, 80,000 concert-goers trying to get the hell out of the Hippodrome via one exit. Complete and utter madness. But, a truly memorable end to a show that surely won’t be forgotten any time soon. Bono truly does command all – even the weather

When we finally made it back to the hotel, we showered and went to bed; my final mumble of the night was something like ‘fuck this, I’m not lining up tomorrow.’ Around 6 a.m. I heard the girls whispering; I asked what they were doing and they said they were going to line up. Screw that – I rolled over and went back to sleep. I awoke around 10 a.m. to the sound of whispers that seemed strangely close, and opened my eyes to find both SJ and N still in bed -  apparently I wasn’t the only one who needed to sleep! SJ asked me what I was going to do, and I replied “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” And back in line we went. This time we were about 600th in line, the sun was just as hot as the day before, and I foresaw another day of granola bars, Gatorade and porto-potties ahead of me. Unlike the previous day though, security was not letting us off the premises, which meant that we were stuck on-site until the start of the show. This meant $5 water bottles and other assorted over-priced crap. It also meant that no one would be allowed to dump their chairs, blankets etc. before the show started, nor would we be able to take quick showers to freshen up. Poop.  This time around, security wasn’t as organized when they let us in – they basically let everyone crash through the gates at the same time. I bee-lined for the pit again, and found myself center-stage with SJ, N and other friends from TO. This was prime real estate – even better than night 1! I started out about 20 ‘rows’ from the stage, and by the time we reached the midway point, I was about 10 rows back. Totally Awesome. I love being at the heart of the action, and admittedly, after my first front-row experience in 2001, there’s no way I can ever go back to sitting in the bleachers. I’m a jumper and a screamer – I might fall of the bleachers amidst all my excitement

Clearly, night 1 was amazing. But night 2 was on out of this world! The energy and vibe were absolutely incredible, and the band sounded even better then they had on the first night. It was obvious that they were thrilled to be playing a second show, and Bono told us that while Friday night had been great, we were going to party harder that [Saturday] night  – and boy did we party! The crowd was wild and exuberant from beginning to end. I screamed for 3 hours, sang the lyrics to every single song, and often worried I might deafen my own self. Let’s just say I’ve got a great set of lungs. Surprisingly, I never lost my voice – this is quite perplexing to me. Anyway, U2 changed up the set list somewhat, and we heard classics like Out of Control (AMAZING!), All I Want is You (Incredible!), Stuck, New Year’s Day, Please and Hallelujah – an unspoken tribute to Leonard Cohen. Brilliant.  It was a fantastic night! I’ve included a few pics for you below.

Were you at the show? If so, what did you think? What were your memorable moments? If you’ve got a pic you’d like to share, let me know via the comments feed and I’ll feature it on the blog.

So… I’m ready to do it all over again – whose with me?

Photo: RAnnDomized

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Photo: Steph J.

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Photo: Steph J. (converted to B&W by yours truly)

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What I Did on my Summer Vacation – Part 1: Action!

Yeah I know – I’ve come up with more creative titles than this one!

I can likely offer up a bunch of meaningless excuses as to why I haven’t written in nearly two months, but the sad (or not-so-sad) truth is that I’ve been enjoying a fabulous summer in Montreal.  So, here I am, ready to write, hopeful that I’ve still got a few readers left. Still here? Good! Let’s get this show on the road – we’ve got a lot of catching up to do! Oh, I should mention that all of this took place pre-vacation.

 

Get on your mat!

First, this catch-up post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t take a moment to talk about my yoga practice. Since April, I’ve really regained my focus (thanks Bram!), and have been practicing for 90-minutes, almost daily. To say that I feel amazing would be an understatement. I feel fan-fucking-tastic! While yoga is amazing for toning and shit, I no longer practice solely for the physical benefits that it brings me. I am much more focused on the spiritual, more mental side of things, and it’s made a big difference overall – not just mentally, but physically and emotionally as well. At the end of my practice, I feel super energized – but more importantly, I feel a profound sense of joy. Let’s not forget the added benefit of yoga making me more fucker-proof too. It totally rocks. More on that in a later post.

 

Let’s join the circus…

Last Spring, I spontaneously bought tickets to Le Cirque du Soleil’s latest show, Totem. The tickets weren’t cheap, but my gal pal and I decided to splurge, knowing the show would be worth it. On June 26^th we stopped in at Le Grand Chapiteau to see what all the fuss was about – boy were we in for a surprise!  The show, whose main theme is evolution, was breathtaking – fantastic, stunning. AH-Mazing. Our seats were center-stage, about 20 rows up, with an unobstructed view of well, everything. That night, I became the ‘official’ ticket-buyer for all future shows – that’s how awesome our view was, according to my date (I don’t know how many times I refreshed my browser when making my seat selection – I was looking for a very specific spot!).  Unfortunately, cameras weren’t allowed, so I have no show pics to share with you (but hey, check out the tent below, LOL), but if you haven’t already seen this show, or any Cirque show for that matter, I highly recommend checking out what’s on in your city. Totem was brilliant; from the set design and intricate costumes, to the make-up and fabulous music, and of course, the badass performers – they didn’t miss a beat. Well worth the money – both my date and I would go see it again.

Poto: RAnnDomized

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An overdose of candy…

A week after Totem, I took my 15-year old niece to her very first concert EVER. Before I tell you who we went to see, I’d like to remind you that I’m a diehard U2 fan.  OK… are you ready? For her first show EVER, Audrey picked…

Katy Perry

We checked out Perry’s California Dreams show at the Bell Center on July 2^nd. Now, I like Katy Perry – she’s got great energy and catchy tunes. But I did have some reservations about the kind of people I’d encounter at this show. I could see myself surrounded by thousands of screaming teenage girls, all wearing pink. This is exactly what I got, but with an added bonus: the stench of cotton candy being pumped through the vents for 2.5 hours. Jesus! I thought I was going to pass the fuck out from the smell!  Anyway, when we got to our seats, I had a look around, and the first thing I thought was “Wow. That’s a small stage.” Then I thought “Wow. This is a lot of pink. Why are there muffins on-stage? Oh wait – are those cupcakes? What are those lollipops doing there, and what the hell is that pink, bumpy, square thing hovering in the middle of the arena?”  Anyway, fast-forwarding to the show: Perry put on a great performance and I was really impressed by her level of energy, her sense of humor, and her rapport with the audience. She did change outfits more often then any other artist I’ve seen but hey – everyone’s got their quirks. Perry played most of her hits and the crowd seemed to enjoy the show. More importantly, Audrey had a great time. Overall, I’d give Katy’s performance a high rating (notice how I don’t commit to an actual score, lol). Oh, and that hovering pink thing? It was a fake cloud that Perry used to transport herself from the main stage, to the other side of the arena. Kinda nifty, in a kitschy sort of way. To read a review of the show, click here.  Here’s a pretty decent video of KP performing Firework:

 

 

And last but not least…

The space ship is coming! The space is coming!

In September 2009, U2 played two shows at the Sky Dome in Toronto. Unfortunately, the 360 Tour wasn’t stopping in Montreal and this made me rather cranky because Montreal has a way better crowd than TO (sorry GTAers!). Well, it’ll be one cold day in hell before I miss a U2 show/tour – so I packed up my shit and headed for the T-Dot. LELELELELE!  Yes, I went to both shows, and yes I lined up forever in order to get the perfect spot on the floor! Such is the life of a U2 fan.

Not long after the TO shows, U2 announced dates for the second leg of the tour and Montreal was on the list for two nights in July 2010. The girls and I decided that we were also going to do TO (again) and New York (the last show of the tour). We were eager for July, but weeks before the first Montreal show, Bono had to undergo back surgery and all remaining dates in North America were canceled. Though understanding and supportive of Bono’s shit-uation, the U2 community was pretty disappointed by the news. Well, we waited almost two years to see the boys play again – and on July 8^th and 9^th, the space ship finally landed in Montreal.  Tune in tomorrow to hear all about the 360 madness…

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Life is Slow When the Groove is On

Oh

My

God

She’s back.

I go AWOL for two months and they go and change things on me. Snap! I guess I should check out this new WP format while I’m in here .  Anyway, I know that I usually post these on the last Thursday of each month, but given my 2-month absence (read: delinquency, laziness – whatever works for you), I’m going to post this one today because I’m sure y’all are eager to see something, anything being published by yours truly – right…?  Oh, for the record, I AM working on some posts – including a review of U2 that is waaaaaay overdue! I’m hoping to get back on the writing wagon – new month, new posts, new vents. Know what that means? Brand new etiquette posts!

Alright! What do you all think of Tori’s latest? This one speaks to me if only for Tori’s ability to practice yoga in the middle of a busy airport. Or perhaps it’s a bus/ train station. Either way, it’s busy and requires some serious Zenitude :-p

To check out more of Tori’s work, or commission her for a piece of your own, you can go here and here.

Got something to say? Speak!

The Chronicles of Mo

Yes, I know – I’m obsessed with Moville, but seriously, how can I not be? They visit me every day and their presence warms the cockles of my heart. Mister (or Missus) made an appearance this morning while I was practicing yoga, but I haven’t seen my favorite little guy yet. I hope something (or someone) hasn’t eaten Mini-Mo! So, while I await his much anticipated return, here are a few pics that I took this weekend; Mini-Mo actually let me go right up to him to take these, so I suspect he’s cool with me. Sweet!

Look how chubbylicious he is:

Photo: RAnnDomized

Photo: RAnnDomized

And those perfect little ears:

Photo: RAnnDomized

Photo: RAnnDomized

And the Countdown Begins!

There are 22 days left until my date with U2 and the boys! So, in anticipation of seeing my future husband again after such a long absence….

Courtesy of Stustation