Things I think about when I should be working…at regular work & on gut-wrenching paper presentation:
If we have the word ‘laundry’ for dirty clothes & even the verb ‘to launder’ to describe the act of cleaning them…why not the same reverence for dirty dishes & the act of washing them?
Why is there 38% of my daily value of sodium in one bottle of V8?
Why is Cam’ron
so angry at Jay-Z & since when do rappers beef on sandals’n'jeans?
Ugh. I know that’s it’s been waaay to long – so here’s a list of excuses why I haven’t been blogging:
1. Went off to London, Ontario for work – couldn’t crack the hotel’s firewall or whatever anti-Mac technology that was bunging up my wireless card…so I enjoyed cable & a/c & big bathtubs & empty gyms instead…probably for the best.
2. Had a disappointing concert experience at the Phoenix for the Joel Plaskett gig & couldn’t be bothered writing about it. (It wasn’t super-bad, but I had just built it up to be an amazing gig & the Emergency songs were quite sloppy & jammy…The opening act was just beyond open-mic night amateur level, so we whittled away the hours before JPE’s set watching hockey & serendipitously running into an old hometown classmate. Turns out that my bud from Waubec DayCare Centre is dating a Plaskett cousin…Despite the fact that JP had 4 albums to draw from, he re-played ‘Patriot Love’ & made the encore fizzle out…I heard that his free Harbourfront show last summer was much better…sigh)
3. Spent the entire weekend (starting Friday afternoon wandering aimlessly & slowly running errands) outside, enjoying the amazing weather
4. Quirky & Fruitless Doors Open efforts were made – the Cadbury factory was an aborted mission, tho. Tried going early-ish on both days & was discouraged to join the line with the hyped-up ankle-biters in a mass of flesh outside…
The Gladstone was super-packed, too…ended up doing OCAD’s crossword-puzzle’y building & quite enjoyed the ‘soft city’ display & graphics exhibitions, totally regret not bringing my camera.
5. Better than doors open – streets open. The first of the series of P.S. Kensington Sundays had an amazing mix of music – bluegrass, soul, crazy mini-metalheads slaying on electric guitars & great food & games (giant-sized Scrabble & chess, etc.)
6. Scrounged for shade yesterday to recover from a brutal sunburn – it’s a post-SARstock-level of crimson & I’m still radiating heat. I am Caucasian to the power 10 & need to just accept that & invest in some decent sunscreen.
7. Was too busy catching up on my recreational reading (Finally bought the Friedman masterpiece at a great 2nd hand bookstore – read about Babel’s owner, Tim, here- on Ossington) – juggling 3+ books, & many neglected magazines to turn on the computer…
8. Another apt excuse goes here…………..
This week’ll be equally busy, shuffling around with events – Mike Evin’s got a great show lined up with Kat Burns @ The Supermarket (268 Augusta Ave.) on Tuesday, May 30, 9 pm - $5
This Friday, June 2nd Martin’s band the Pickups will be opening for neil traynor and the emergency broadcast system, purveyor of jangle guitar pop, at ciao edie 489 college (college & bathurst) doors around 10:30 (on at 10:45) cover is $5….& I can’t go so hopefully you can!
But I will try to make it out to their gig on saturday, june 17th at the tranzac (bloor & brunswick) for a pay-what-you-can at 10pm with abigail lapell…
Anyway, back to life, back to reality…
PEACE
meegs
A lazy long weekend was loooong overdue. Unfortunately, the concerts that were expected to pepper the slothful days were not in the stars. For some odd reason, Canuck-boys of Frog Eyes were detained at the border & couldn’t appear at the Opera House gig….
So after our rainy night trip past Degrassi Street - we returned home knowing that it’s best to wait patiently til these guys (& Sunset Rubdown - also Canadian) return to Toronto than to cash in sub-par tickets & condone the cost of the lineup.
Rainy weekends are more conducive to movies than shows - so in that spirit, we caught up on TV series & movie rentals & finally went to see Brick - which givesthe film noir treatment that shady high school drug rings have deserved for 30 years…
Another guilty pleasure on rainy weekends is blah music. Just un-zip-file’d a pack of Jose Gonzalez tunes that fit perfectly with the grey days of this week. The newest CD of Gonzalez is ‘veneer’ & he’s touring with The Divine Comedy throughout Europe…& maybe to the North American leg…if that ever happens?? JG is like Grandaddy without the bleeps & bloops - Nick Drake without the Tryptizol…Other rainy day playlists are peppered with the breathy & surreal Nouvelle Vague covers (”iah go out on Friiiiday niiight & iah come home on Saturdaahy morning…”), Sondre Lerche’s Duper Sessions, 
old Lhasa & trippy new Flaming Lips tracks….
That reminds me that I need to do some research into what bands’re appearing in London & Tokyo when I’m there in June/July. If anyone has any suggestions (or new issues of MOJO), please pass’em on…& hopefully Tam-a-lam will be back in peak condition for my first/only (?) Canada Day in the UK…She’s been ‘In Need of Medical Attention’ 
for awhile & has taken some well-deserved time off from work last week & this week…You’re in my thoughts, Tam & I will scream out a JPE request or two on Thursday night in your honour…
Any hostelling or crashing tips for Tokyo would also be very much appreciated. Might end up staying in a Seaquest DSV type of crypt for my non-Mount-Fuji days
…Thank Christ I’m not claustrophobic…
Peace
meegs
As much time & text as I have wasted on moaning & groaning (about this & people who work here & the overall sucks to your assmar organizational strategy that’s governed the past month or so), life is good. Things are looking up as the placement ends. Free ticket to London helps. I have certainly learned a lot about the machinery of government (especially the political side of things…) & the ins & outs of office life (no matter how many jobs I’ve had – it all boils down to the same personality types & I still haven’t figured out group dynamics).
I think that I’ve reaffirmed what I’ve believed in/preferred for the world of work: I’d rather work independently on ambitious projects (or chunks thereof) than negotiate decisions & responsibilities among many egos; I’d rather take on a bunch of different things than hunker down & see one event/plan through from start to finish; I’d rather go through insane busy periods & occasional lulls than drone on in a routinized job. I’ve essentially re-created my AMF job here at QP & that suits my personality & work habits best.
Speaking of AMF, I am very much looking forward to discussing post-ATX life this week & escaping from the QP compound with former coworker, Sam. Unlike Sam, I didn’t become gainfully employed in a badass arts organization upon my return. Hopefully I can make up for lost time & find something that suits my skills & interests eventually…Other AMF refugees are traipsing around Europe this week, checking out Babyshambles & the Divine Comedy (colour me jealous)…escaping friend dramas & other more interesting social events (colour me gossiping)….& seeking out bigger & better jobs (colour me empathetic).
Speaking of gossip, I still dunno what I’m coming back to work-wise after Tokyo, really, I mean it. So please stop asking me or presuming stuff based on hearsay. The only promise that I can make is that if I do eventually start earning a teensy tinsey bit more money, I might order cable TV…. because in June on Tvtropolis, 90210 
finally in syndication & being rerun daily.
Planning ahead for London is good daydreaming fodder…I expect to see Cathal in his swank suits day trading or investing or doing whatever the heck he does across from the Saatchi Gallery 
everyday….I will swim the Thames to see Tammy & Zac for the last time in their UK home, before they return to the motherland for good(?) this summer…I’m disappointed that I can’t see Neil from my SXSW posse – he’s working in Bermuda at some loophole ridden, tax-evading enterprise…beats rainy England weather, I guess….
Anywhoo, as details arise I’ll keep everyone posted, I’m not usually so elusive…& to add to that Islands invite
, there is a good Drake Underground gig with The Coast on Saturday…
Peace
Meegs
The brutal too-many-cooks-ified event is almost 48 hours away. Please do come out to the Islands gig on Friday at the Opera House & unwind with yours truly & co.
Like most interesting things in life, this begins with me not having a clue about what I’m getting into & that lurchy, sinking feeling in one’s gut that goes with putting a looong digit number on the VISA.
Flight number: BA0007
From: Heathrow (London) Terminal 1
To: Narita (Tokyo) Terminal 1
Depart: 04 Jul 2006 15:45
Arrive: 05 Jul 2006 11:05
Class: World Traveller
Operated by: British Airways
Booking status: Confirmed
Flight number: BA0008
From: Narita (Tokyo) Terminal 1
To: Heathrow (London) Terminal 1
Depart: 13 Jul 2006 13:10
Arrive: 13 Jul 2006 17:15
Class: World Traveller
Operated by: British Airways
Booking status: Confirmed
Great new artwork just leaked - Kudos to Jeff, who knew you had such a knack for non-paisley design???Check out Oh The Pretty Things website here….Gigs TBA.
What a brutally amazing weekend. I’m still recovering so I can say that on a Tuesday night & not be a total backblogging loser. A whirlwind week isn’t complete without a backbreaking weekend & this was a winner. After working hardcore & being thisclose to finally finishing that (goddamned) paper…(this time I mean it, I will kill this beast within the next 48 hours or else die trying)…
I cut loose on Saturday night & had a hella good Animal-House-Toga-Party night out at ‘Going Steady’ at the Boat in the Market…Cutting a rugs, sweating, getting my cute-as-a-button-balletflats massacred jumping around like a mad Macedonian at a wedding with the Mulock mafia, old Euclid roommates, UofT posses & a massive blast from the past with my Frosh week homie showing up.
This is the small town, same sitch dude who introduced me to The Boy with the Arab Strap, who offered to be my Joey Ramone (yeah, yeah, yeah), that I hadn’t seen in almost three years has the same amazing taste in music that impressed me back in the day. Now with a real job & a namesake – what a friggin’ difference three years makes (well, for some of us…I can’t say that I feel like I’m that much ahead in the game of Life 
after we parted ways cramming for the dummy artsy version of astronomy…) – he’s livin’ largeish & all grows up.
It’s scary when you have those Woody Allenish run-ins with people in Toronto & realize just how small this city & this scene is. To say that it’s scary running into waaay more than a handful of peeps at a weekly event is off the mark – I guess it’s just unnerving that my friendship roots are starting to get deeper here. I never really felt that in ATX or Ottawa – tho I had respective & dependable crew in ATX, who were curious about music & art - nothing compares to the seven year stretch of GTA buds & the many relocated hometown friends that call Toronto home…
& on that note it was great to see Dor back on the stage Sunday night – it brought back memories of going to so many of her Humber gigs & watching her & her classmates grow into comics…& on the note of world shrinkage, the world seemed waaay smaller Friday night after a surprise call from Hiro…After talking about life overseas, the work, the recreation & the visit…I can’t say that I want to partake in non-Tokyo stuff….I have no interest Japanese gadget sales – sadly even the Japanese have spawned a generation of PodPeople & won’t buy domestic Mp3 players - & I’m not a huge ‘nature’ person, but Hiro assures me that I should do more than just Tokyo on my trip…Check out Mount Fuji
, visit different areas surrounding Tokyo – but deep down all I wanna do is live my Lost in Translation fantasy, stay in a swank hotel, lounge in my scrubs, watch movies with Bill Murray, etc, etc….I guess I could find some wrinkly dude & hole up in any North American hotel…
Sunday was spent recovering - making sense of the purchases made at the 24 hour Dominion the night/morn before & compiling a list of tunes inspired by the dance insanity…espcially some Belafonte gems.
Anywhoo, time to pack for MTL this weekend, get my act together for the rest of a busy TO week & all that jazz…
Peace
meegs
- Senora’s dance has no title, you jump in the saddle, hold onto the bridle…
Bore you with a bio under About. Blahg reincarnated & rising griffin-like from
ashes of blogspot. eAdvocacy bent ensues. Email with comments
-meghan@withoutayard.com
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