a-keep-a ramblin’ baby

and the newest addition to my group of good music is London (England)’s delightfully quirky Kate Nash.

It’s rare to love an entire cd, and since I love this one so much I couldn’t help but share my opinion. Her lyrics are real, funny, true, random and heartbreaking.

My three favorite songs are:

Foundations- true, true, true. Um dead on kate. also i can’t help but dance in my chair at work while listening.

Dickhead- the most melodically beautiful vulgar song I’ve heard in awhile.

My favorite line being “35 people couldn’t count on two hands the amount of times you made me stop and think why are you being such a dickhead.”

The Nicest Thing – heartbreaking. Honestly, It’s on perma repeat and I still get goosebumps everytime I hear it. The lyrics are as follow:

All I know is that you’re so nice
You’re the nicest thing I’ve seen
I wish that we could give it a go
See if we could be something

I wish I was your favourite girl
I wish you thought I was the reason you are in the world
I wish my smile was your favourite kind of smile
I wish the way that I dressed was your favourite kind of style

I wish you couldn’t figure me out
But you always wanna know what I was about
I wish you’d hold my hand
When I was upset
I wish you’d never forget
The look on my face when we first met

I wish you had a favourite beauty spot
That you loved secretly
‘Cause it was on a hidden bit
That nobody else could see
Basically, I wish that you loved me
I wish that you needed me
I wish that you knew when I said two sugars,
Actually I meant three

I wish that without me your heart would break
I wish that without me you’d be spending the rest of your nights awake
I wish that without me you couldn’t eat
I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep

Look, all I know is that you’re the nicest thing I’ve ever seen
And I wish that we could see if we could be something
Yeah I wish that we could see if we could be something

Check her out @ http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic.

Love it.

Share This

This review comes a little later than I had planned, but I couldn’t find the time to sit down and write it until I found myself stuck in all day government graduate recruitment testing on Saturday…here it is

Showtime: Monday, October 22, 2007. 8 pm

Something I did not know until recently was that Fredericton Playhouse sometimes shows documentaries associated with upcoming shows. To me this seems like a naturally brilliant idea, and this is how I found out about Ailey II.

A couple of months ago now I attended a showing of a dance documentary featuring the Alvin Ailey school of New York city. Weeks later I got to see  the real thing. Any type of dance usually excites me, but I have to say due to the last modern dance show I saw in Fredericton (thumbs down) I was slightly apprehensive about the level of enjoyable entertainment I would receive from this one. I can now tell you that Ailey II did not disappoint.

The team was made up of 12 highly skilled dancers broken down like this… 6 male, 6 female or 11 American, 1 Canadian or 10 black, 2 white. All important to note seeing as how the whole show had a heavy southern gospel feel. For the sake of keeping this review relatively short I’ll briefly list my first impressions. I was impressed with the speed and athleticism, mesmerized by the silence of the dancers, shocked by the bit of humor and touched by the soulfulness and emotion.

The show had two intermissions, not only for the dancers to take a much needed rest, but also clearly to act as theme patricians. All 3 parts were radically different. Part one, my least favorite, had the most modern feel. It was still a great display of talent, but lacked the personality of the following two parts.

The second part of the show was very retro…as retro as a modern dance display can be, complete with Diana Ross inspired costumes. Sounds corny, but it was thoroughly enjoyable. This part featured mainly (if not solely, I don’t remember) the female dancers. Each one got to tell their own story with a different song and dance.

The third part was by far my favorite which surprised me since it was the most gospel/religious part. What it came down to though was whether or not I agreed with the beliefs the lyrics were portraying I felt something strong in the way they were communicated. There was also something tribal about this part, the beat and the choreography was amazing. I was either tapping my foot or sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time. My favorite dance of the night was one performed by the men only. Just when I was thinking “um…whoa” my friend reached over squeezed my arm and went “eeee!” There was just something about it, I can’t explain what, but when something like dancing, no words, just movement and music effects you like that…it’s a remarkable feeling.

Ailey II was good, good stuff. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Share This

Showtime: Saturday, October 20, 2007 midnightish

Apostle of Hustle is a band from Toronto currently on a tour across Canada and the u.s. They are part if the Arts and Crafts record label which also hosts other well known indie rockers such as Broken Social Scene, The Stars, The Most Serene Republic and Feist (who is possibly coming to Fredericton, cross your fingers!)

I first heard of Apostle of Hustle by listening to The Stars album “Do You Trust Your Friends” this collaborative album turned out to be an awesome introduction to other great bands. One of my favorite songs on it happens to be “One More Night” with…Apostle of Hustle. I hadn’t heard the name before but thought I liked what I was hearing so I got a hold of some more music by them and confirmed that I did like what I was hearing. So needless to say was excitedly pleased to find out rather randomly that they were going to be at the Capital. I arranged for advanced tickets to be sure I could get in, and it turns out it was a smart move. I had never seen the Capital more packed then it was Saturday. There was a line up and people were being denied access into the bar. But with my access bracelet and a drink in my hand I pushed my way in and got up to where I could almost see the stage. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances we didn’t end up staying for as long as I’d hoped but I got to take in about 6 songs before passing my bracelet on to some dude on the deck on my way out. What I did get to see/hear I enjoyed. They’re a fun group that adds a little, dare I say, peppiness to indie rock. Check them out @ http://www.myspace.com/apostleofhustle and decide for yourself.

i’m not going to give them a rating out of 10 because I didn’t get to see the whole show and so cannot fully judge. I just hope they are able to return soon and maybe to a slightly larger venue. Sometimes you just really need a little more room to dance.

Share This

Showtime: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 7 pm

Peter Pan is a great imaginary classic with loads of potential for excellence and awe when seen live. I was excited. Armed with good snacks and good company I settled in for the show, but soon felt rather unsettled. It is important to note that this play was for children and seeing as how I am not a child I will cut it a little more slack than I would normally. Let me first discuss what I disliked about the play so I can finish on the positive side.

I think the first problem may have stemmed from the fact that this was a “Broadway” show, so naturally I had high expectations and consequently found myself with expectations a tad too high. Unfortunately it took no more than 10 minutes for me to discover what I would dislike most about the play, and I knew it from the moment Peter Pan flew through the nursery window. Pan was being played by a girl. I know that there is a history of Peter Pan being played by females, traditionally Pan was played by a slender woman so that she could be more easily lifted by the flight harness. But this was not the case for this play; the actress playing Pan was of no slighter build than at least 4 of the male actors on stage that night. Though I’m sure she is a fine actress, i feel she did not suit the role of Pan. It was just too difficult to accept her as a male, no matter how hard you tried. Even the small child behind me commented as soon as Pan entered “That’s a girl!” Her actions, body language and voice all exuded femininity. My opinion would be the choice to use her as Pan was due to her singing ability, and I probably could have let it slide considering it was a musical and a strong voice was crucial to the main role…if wardrobe had done a better job with her costume. Now my eye sight isn’t 20/20 but I was pretty sure I was seeing a sort of wardrobe malfunction when my friend leaned over and whispered “Peter Pan… has cleavage” at that we were done. Besides Pan, my only other major problem with the play was that it was probably a bit too long. It ran close to 2 ½ hours, much too long for children and much too long adults uncomfortably focused on Peter Pan’s cleavage.

Now let me finish with what I did like about the play. First and foremost I was pleased that there was a live orchestra. Hands down beats any sort of recorded music, even if we couldn’t see them because the theater is too small too house an orchestra and full audience together. The choreography was entertaining, the singing enjoyable and the set well crafted. The “special effects” were also worth mentioning. The flying was exciting and I loved the part where Tinkerbell (played by a green laser pointer…no joke) “drank” Pan’s poisoned medicine. The liquid actually drained from the cup with nothing touching it. I was quite impressed. In conclusion I’d say my favorite part of the play had to be Hook, the actor was fantastic though he may have made Hook a little too likable.

I give Peter Pan – The High Flyin’ Broadway Musical a 5 out of 10. Though it was far from torture, it would have killed me if I had paid the $60 to see it. Here’s to free theater!

Share This

it has finally happened. on my way home for lunch today i got stopped by the dreaded bike cops. it happened like this:

i’m driving along on the sidewalk at a reasonable speed  already in a rather bad mood when i see a man on a bike coming towards me. he puts his hand up for me to stop and i notice the uniform. i can see my apartment from this spot. “hi there, how are you today?” he asks. “oh not bad” i lie as i stare him down. he asks why i’m biking on the sidewalk. i tell him matter of factly, “because it’s not safe to bike on the road” at this he has the NERVE to say “if you don’t feel it’s safe then you will have to not bike” …so basically he’s telling me i shouldn’t be using the only form of transportation i have to get back and forth to work everyday. my blood begins to boil. i tell him that not long ago i asked a trail bike cop what the rules were in reference to sidewalk biking and that cop told me that as long as i was behaving myself i wouldn’t be stopped for biking on the sidewalk. this cop says he has no idea why they would tell me that, they were wrong. my blood reaches boiling point. i tell him i think the law is an unsafe law, he tells me he’s not there to argue, he’s just there to enforce and asks for my licence. he asks me if i’ve ever had a warning before and when i tell him no he skeptically asks if i’m sure. yeah douche, i may be breaking the “law” but i don’t lie to cops…usually. so he tells me he’s giving me a written warning. i stand there biting my tongue in half to avoid angering him further and having to pay the fine. he hands me the ticket and i grab it and bike away without a word.

now it’s personal. i always thought it was a ridiculous law. i mean any law that kills more people than it saves should not exist. and now i’m ready to fight it. as soon as i was finished my lunch i got on my bike and biked the sidewalk all the way back to work just hoping i would run into the same cop. trust me, when i do meet another cop i’m going to fight with them until they’ll fight no more and then take it to whoever is next on the ladder of those who choose to enforce stupid laws.

this is where you can help. if you have any personal stories that could help me in my fight against this harmful by-law then let me know. i say BRING IT ON!

Share This

I have always had a bit of a hate on for the Caps lock key. It seems something always goes wrong when using it. especially if you happen to type like i do (starring at the keyboard instead of the screen like you’re supposed to). I used to run into problems with it while writing papers during my school years. I’d be typing away and glance up to do a check and only then notice that i had typed an entire paragraph in capitals. what is a girl to do? my only option would be to re-type the paragraph. now, to some this may not sound like such a hardship, but when you write papers for days on end having to re-type even one paragraph was a major pain. that’s considering you only make the mistake of leaving the Caps lock on once, and considering you’re not overly angry with yourself for doing something so careless yet again. I also find it really irritating when  i accidentally hit Caps lock instead of A and end up with words like “complIN” and “pSTA”. What made me feel like i could finally come out with my disdain for the Caps lock started with a conversation with a co-worker this morning. Every time i have messaged him lately i have forgotten to de-select the key and have sent messages making me appear to be very angry. He told me that i should join the movement to remove the Caps lock key http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/17/the-war-against-the-caps-lock-key-is-on/ . Finally, other people who shared my opinion, and of course others who don’t. I haven’t fully decided whether or not i agree that the key should be removed completely from the keyboard, but i do think a change would be nice. what about an option to undo unwanted caps? like you are able to do with the non-keyboard  bold, underline and italic buttons. surely someone could figure out how to do that. in conclusion, i wouldn’t go so far as to say i lose sleep over the Caps lock key, i just find it very amusing that there is a movement for its removal from the standard keyboard. has this been done before? are their other keys that have been so called “voted off the island”? Should the Caps lock key be given the boot or left to cause tedious paper writing and embarrassing msn mistakes? what do you think?

Share This

so today is my brother’s birthday. the second youngest of the 5 children is turning 19. my littlest brother is turning 19. drinking age, 19, legal, my baby brother. can you see i’m having a little trouble with it? i have no idea what to get him. the over protective, naive, mothering side of me wants to get him the same thing i always used to buy him, an action figure…or lego. while the cool older sister side of me wants to get him a gift certificate at the liquor store and tell him you only live once. All i know is that there is quite an internal battle happening here…maybe that’s why my stomach feels weird, and here i thought it was the french fries and gummi bears i ate for lunch. i don’t want them to grow up. i think because i feel that while they’re young we can keep them safe, but maybe it’s also the realization that the older they get the older i get. he can’t be 19, aren’t i still 19? i guess there is truth to the saying time flies when you’re having fun. which would explain why i am STILL at work. no flying time around here. let me say thank god it’s friday, i’m not even going to bother to abbreviate it. if i have to type

<ol>

<li></li>

</ol>

one more time i may just lose it. i’ve been dragging on the same document for 2 weeks now and let me tell you creating an html teaching english second language students how to use microsoft word is NOT fun. 100 pages of what we would consider common sense. it’s an eye opener, that’s for sure. makes you realize how much of our own knowledge we take for granted. we just shove it all in the back of our heads and recall it when we need it. if you take the time to stop and think about what you’re doing and how and when you learned how to do it it’s quite fascinating. and now my break is over, back to work.

Share This

i’ve been thinking lately that not enough people here in fredericton make good use of the walking/biking trails we’ve been provided with. this is not to say that no one does. it would be a rare occurrence to see no one out and about during the summer months, but there are still so many people seemingly oblivious to the charm of these trails. hopefully my short tale will help to render this.

I woke up today knowing there was nothing I would rather do with my sunday then bike to my parent’s place (well maybe not nothing…but it was top 10 anyway) the sun was shining in true late june fashion and i knew it was going to be an enjoyable ride. sidenote: to fully understand how much i enjoy a calming trail ride you must first know that i bike to and from work everyday (including home and back for lunch) on one of downtown fredericton’s busiest streets. i get dirty looks, i have to stop at a million cross walks, and i sometimes fear for my life (we’ve got some crazy drivers around town). so the trail is my safe haven. there is a mutual respect that you would never find on the streets. today, i got smiles from 3 fellow bikers, i got to photograph a butterfly and I got a healthy helping of fresh air. i’d have to say that so far, the trail that runs along waterloo row and lincoln road is my favorite. I love the fact that it’s not overly populated and has some great shade for the hot days. I think it’s a nice combination of flat and hilly terrain, and beautiful enough to stop you in your tracks, with huge towering trees, a great view of the river and the rarity of at least 6 different wildflowers growing within a meter of one another. but most likely my love for this trail comes from the the simple fact that it’s leading me home. if you are not a trail biker, walker, runner, skipper…whatever, i suggest you check them out. they represent summer at it’s best.

Share This