inspirations - HNT #39

I've been told that this is a rather inspiring photo . . .

I'm quite fond of it myself, for a number of reasons . . .
these are one of my favorite pairs of shoes, my favorite comfy chair, warm sunlight bathing over me, and surrounded by my lovely house plants . . .

I have been feeling a bit uninspired for the last few weeks . . . I think it must be the forboding changing of the seasons . . . things should get back to normal soon

. . . I hope!

These buttons are fun to push, you should try it...you never know, you might just find something inspiring -->

let's get physical...

poked...
prodded...
pressurized...
scrutinized...
analyzed...
poked again...
shuffled...
stabbed...
bled...

I hate going to the doctor!

Completely random thought...

Alcoholic is to Alcohol as Workaholic is to ______________?

Workahol isn't a word. Then why do we say workaholic...shouldn't it be workic?

Musical Monday #6 - brooding disposition

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Artist: Elliott BROOD
Album: Ambassador (Track #3 - Second Son)
Label: Six Shooter Records
Released: October 4, 2005

I love the banjo as some of you well know. I guess it fits in with what a friend recently described as a strong folk roots to my musical tastes. But I also like it loud, and dark, and well...brooding!

Elliott BROOD's music has been described as death country and blackgrass, labels which could not be more appropriate for the traditional folk blended with dark lyrics and a hard modern edge

"dark, gritty folk music built around whiskey-drenched vocals and lyrics
evoking images of love, loss and murder. In their soul-thumping bluegrass songs,
banjo keeps time to a strange and chunky angular stomp, with vicious
Kentucky-hardcore acoustic guitar and somber, achingly confessional vocal
harmonies." ~weework records

I discovered Elliott BROOD this July at the Calgary Folk Music Festival and was immediately captivated. I saw them again a few weeks ago at Waynefest, and both shows completely blew me away. They will be in Calgary again in mid October opening for Corbb Lund, I will be there. If you ever get the chance...see them live!

3:40

3:40am

awake

the soft steady breaths beside me taunting . . .

a cough somewhere outside my window . . . I guess he can’t sleep either
too bad I don’t smoke . . . I’d have something to do

the slow constant hum of traffic . . .
yes, even at this hour

off in the distance the moan of an airplane passing overhead
I wonder where it’s going . . .
can I come too?

awake

3:40am

Thoughts thrown out with the bathwater

The bathtub in my apartment, is small...too small really for me to comfortable take a bath. But I love baths, and take them often despite the inadequacy presented to me by the woes of being a downtown renter.

I have always found being surrounded by warm water very conducive to thought...whether I am in need of making a decision or just waiting for the next big idea to come to me. Today as I was nearing the end of my bath, my fingers and toes resembling little flesh coloured raisins, a myriad of random things bounced around inside my head, some good, some bad, some completely ridiculous, and some so irrelevant they are hardly worth analyzing...I slid as far down in the tiny tub as I could, held my breath, and put my head under the water...and just let the water drain away, taking any thoughts it cared to with it...

A strange sense of self can be gained if you remain in the bath tub while the warm water pours away down the drain. It grants a special kind of self awareness that I have not been able to replicate anywhere else . . . perhaps walking nude in the warm summer rain would have a similar effect, but living in the core of the city, I have not been afforded such opportunities . . . as I layed there, I could feel my lungs begin to burn in want for another breath to replace the held one growning stale, and then the water level dropped just under my nose, allowing me to replenish my air supply. The sensation of the water level slowly abating down my face stored me to open my eyes which had been shut against the water, and I could see delicate shadows cast around the small bathroom by the low end light fixture above the mirror consisting of 4 exposed clear bulbs in a polished brass band - three layers (one of the bulbs is burned out) of shadows created by a plethora of items around the room - a feast for the eyes viewed from an unusual angle.

When the water cleared my ears with a gentle pop, first in the right ear and followed by the next gentle sweep of water down by the left. The room that only moments before had seemed quiets and peaceful with the only sound emitting from the steady drip of the bathtub faucet, now seemed unreasinalbly loud. The gurgle of the drain and the water rushing down the walls below making its 10 floor journey to the sewers.

As more water emptied from the tub, my skin became intimately aware of the temperature difference between the water and the air in the bathroom; first discovered by my nipples as they emerged from the water, but as more water drained, small bumps began to form on the surface of my skin, often referred to as resembling that of a goose whose feathers have been plucked . . . what causes skin to react this way to cold anyway? I became more aware of the hard enameled steel under and around me as the warmth of the water was replaced by the coolness of air drying skin. I could feel the pressure odd bone pressing skin against the steel along my back and neck, under my hips, and the points where my shoulders touched the sides. The last of the water drained away, save for a tiny pool around my head trapped by my shoulders, and I lay there listening to the dripping faucet and the last dribbles of bathwater running throught the pipes until my skin was nearly dry and I had stopped shivering. . . .

Change of Seasons

Today is the Autumnal Equinox . . . a new season . . . filled with new and exciting possiblities around every corner . . .

Just call me Imelda... - HNT #38

I like shoes...a lot.
I have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 45 pairs of shoes, boots, sandles, runners etc. I don't see this as a problem...Mr. J seems to for some reason...

Yes, my legs really are that freaking pale...and yes those are bruises ( I'll bruise if you look at me the wrong way - I'm like a peach I've been told)


Want to walk a mile in someone elses shoes? -->

WARNING: I nearly choked on my coffee when I read this!

better

It's amazing what a little retail therapy can do to improve ones mood.

*EDIT* - Lily asked...
I bought a new handbag today at lunch. It's a Matt & Nat bag...style: d-squared, colour: raspberry...I've had my eye on it for about 2 weeks...and today was the day. I actually left the store without buying it, got to the end of the block, and had to go back for it. It was just one of those days...

I like lemonade

Sometimes life doesn't go your way - often refered to as giving you lemons. The options are easy: a) make the best of it (making lemonade), or b)...whine, thrown tantrums, call people names, and otherwise act like a spoiled child.

Musical Monday #5 - Musical Chicken Soup

I knew that I would eventually feature Edmonton's Shout out out out out for Musical Mondy, even thought it might be today...but when I read MM's leader's post, I knew exactly which song it would be. This one's for you WDKY!




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Artist: Shout out out out out (SO4)
Album: Not Saying / Just Saying (Track #8 - Chicken Soup for the Fuck You)
Label: NRMLSWLCMRCDS (Normals Welcome Records)
Released: July 25, 2006

I could never sum up the band as well as the record label website does, so...

"Shout out out out out = two drummers + four bass players + two samplers + five synthesizers + five cowbells + two octapads + one vocoder. Shout out out out out plays volatile dance music.

Shout out out out out is made up of nrmls wlcm label bosses Nik Kozub and Jason Troock, whitey houston members Lyle Bell and Gravy, sketchy casanova Will Zimmerman, and a lil' spazz named Clint Frazier. They are a live spectacle, leaving jaws dropped and dance floors filled with their chaotic blend of epic bumpin'. Hell yes, let us do the electro rock and dance the night away. "

Hand claps and Cow bells...you just can't go wrong!

Amen!

Pets . . . ?

Pet noun.
- An animal kept for amusement or companionship.

They are often cute, often soft, playfull, lovable...and also often hairy, and smelly and messy. On the whole, they are dirty...
when does the cuteness outweigh the dirtiness, allowing these creatures into our homes?

In the last two days I have visited homes with a cat and a dog (respectivly), both are very nice, cute animals. Both are well mannered, and relativly clean as pets go. I enjoyed playing with both...but I don't know if I ever want to have one in my own home...but don't tell Mr. J because I may chance my mind again...I'm prone to that sort of thing

baby, it's cold outside...

only 4 degrees to be exact . . . and there's a bit of a chill on the wind . . . there's a nasty rumour going around that it might . . . snow . . . this weekend . . .

It's the perfect day to tuck into a warm curry lunch and a hot cup of chai . . . which is just what I did . . . YUM!

New music for me!

F(dot) brought me new music. That's so great...I was just begining to get sick of all my music agian, and from nowhere (or maybe it only seemed like nowhere because I don't get to see her much anymore) she has music that I've never heard before!
Curious? Check out She Wants Revenge.

Oh! And the cover art...
this is why I buy CDs people...


And if anyone has music that I should check out...feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email...I go through CDs like they've gone out of fashion and are on the way back out, and am always on the prowl for something new to fill my airspace!

evil

this was too funny to pass up...jmk's page is 44%...we laughed...

How does my garden grow? - HNT #37

Shhhh . . .

Come with me into the garden . . .


I have something to show you.




Step lightly though, we wouldn't want to startle her






Look . . . just there, beneath the yellow flowers . . .

The Flowers ~Robert Louis Stevenson

All the names I know from nurse:
Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,
And the Lady Hollyhock.
Fairy places, fairy things,
Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
Tiny trees for tiny dames--
These must all be fairy names!
Tiny woods below whose boughs
Shady fairies weave a house;
Tiny tree-tops, rose or thyme,
Where the braver fairies climb!
Fair are grown-up people's trees,
But the fairest woods are these;
Where, if I were not so tall,
I should live for good and all.

Ok, so I posted the only half nekkid gardening photos I had last week, and rather than be redundant, I got creative . . . Truth be told this isn't even a flower in my garden...I didn't plant anything on the balcony this year at all . . . but it is a garden in my neigbourhood . . .

Care to see how other gardens grow? -->

HK says...

Don't be perfectly timid, be imperfectly BOLD!

I've got happy feet!

...and hands.
Pardon me, I'm going to have a complete GIRL moment...

Miss N from work and I went for a spa Pedicure and Manicure last night. We had both been given gift certificates from the company...oh, how they spoil us sometimes (pfft...I'm sure it's a first and a last). But it was very nice to just sit and relax... and now my feet and hands are oh so happy!!!

For the toes...OPI - It's a Doozi, Says Suzi


and for the fingers - OPI - Honeymoon Suite.

Unfortunately, I've already chiped one of the finger nails...I guess I'm not a very girly girl...oh well!

Ok, back to the regularly scheduled not so GIRLY programming...

And so it begins