Not Guilty, Just Pleasure - I Know What It's Like

Okay.

It's November 30.

I made it to the end of the month and I posted every day.

Trust me when I say that I will never ever do that again.

It was not fun.  Perhaps if I had not been posting with any regularity prior to November, it would have been a good way to re-light my fire.  It was not necessary to do that.  I've been enjoying the little bit of writing I've been doing here for the past year and a bit and forcing myself to do it every day became a chore.  blah!!

Bring on December!!

Of course, it is Friday and on Friday, I get to share a song I really dig with you.  On this particular Friday, which is also November 30, there is a very special new record out today.  Jeff Tweedy has a new solo record, Warm, dropping today.  I pre-ordered mine a little while ago and am hoping it'll be waiting for me when I get home tonight.

I'm sharing with you the second song I've heard from Warm.  I really really like it.  That does not surprise me at all.  I am a big fan of Jeff Tweedy and that band he's in, Wilco. This song is in my noggin' now, I can't get it out of my head.  Not a bad problem to have.  I hope you give it a listen and fall instantly in love with it.  I did. 

Happy Friday kids, xo

When the lights are dim
In my window I have a twin
I'm always looking out
And he's always looking in
I know what it's like
Starting over again

Cancon Thursday - Nostalgia's A Vice

Way back in the mid to late 1990's and early 2000's, a couple of bass and drum duos rocked it out all across the country.  Kingston's The Inbreds and Winnipeg's Duotang took very different approaches to making awesome rock music with just drums and a bass.  I was a big fan of both bands.

A couple of years ago, Duotang put out a new album, "New Occupation."  I may have even written about it here before (my under caffeinated brain cannot recall specifically at the moment).  15 years is a long time to go between records.  Most bands would have thrown in the towel or done some reunion tour, playing old songs and wandering down memory lane with their fans.

Not Duotang.  New music, new record, new label (Stomp this time, they had put out their earlier releases on Vancouver's Mint Records). No looking back!

In keeping with this theme, I'm sharing with you their video for "Nostalgia's A Vice." Don't live in the past kiddies.  You might be comfortable doing that but it's not as much fun as you think... enjoy xo

Way Back Wednesday - Mayor of Simpleton

How goes your week?

We've made it to Wednesday so that's not so bad huh?

As has become my routine, I'm sharing an "oldie but a goodie" with you today.

Since 7th grade (pretty sure that's what grade I was in when I heard "making plans for Nigel") I've liked XTC.  Like it was yesterday, I can remember the day I bought "Oranges and Lemons."  Pretty sure I picked it up the week it was released.  I remember I got it at House of Sounds on Princess Street, in the morning, and it was cold.  For some reason, I recall walking out into the sunshine and bitter cold but not really minding it as I waited for the bus.  Couldn't wait to get home and listen to it.  Funny the things you remember isn't it? That was over 30 years ago.

So today, I'm going to share with you the video for "Mayor of Simpleton." This was the first single from "Oranges and Lemons" and has a cute video.  Hope it makes you smile xo

Because It's Tuesday - week of November 27

As you know, if you read my posts with any regularity, I grew up listening to a lot of 60's and 70's era country music.  One of my favourites as a kid was Marty Robbins.  I loved how he would tell a story in a song.  Stories in songs were very big when I was a kid.  His voice was amazing and the songs were easy to sing along to for a little kid.

His classic hit, "El Paso" has been covered by many people over the years, including the name sake of this blog.  Today though, I'm going to share a wonderful, stripped down, live version of this song, performed by Shovels and Rope (a lovely folk duo from Charleston, South Carolina).  This video is great, it's fascinating to watch Cary Ann play the drum with one hand and maracas with the other.

Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina
Wicked and evil while casting a spell
My love was deep for this Mexican maiden
I was in love, but in vain I could tell

Give it a listen and see if you can stop your toes from tapping under your desk while  you do.  Happy Tuesday beauties xo

The Days of the Week - (Thursday) Here's Why I Did Not Go To Work Today

Happy Monday folks.

Did you survive the weekend and all of the silly shopping shenanigans that were going on in the wake of the US holiday last week? 

I'm not exactly sure how it all started to become a thing up here.  All of the promotion was a bit much if you ask me.  Not that you did.  Okay, I'm just going to say it, the emails and flyers and stuff just gets to me.  I think that the holidays should be about spending time with folks who you care about, maybe baking some cookies, having a nice meal, good conversation, music, laughter... make some nice memories and stay out of the mall.  Sound good?

Today is Monday so once again, I'm sharing a song with a day of the week in the title.  If I'm going in order, and I seem to be, we're up to Thursday.  My choice for a Thursday song is by Harry Nilsson, (Thursday) Here's Why I Did Not Go To Work Today.  It's a slow, lazy, smokey, Nilssony song as ever there was.  I really love the piano in this one and of course, those Nilsson lyrics are always excellent.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.  Happy Monday kiddies xo

Monday is a blues day that goes for Tuesday
Wednesday's just the middle of the week, yeah, mmm
Friday is just another payday, the weekend's just another heyday
But Thursday's surreptitiously unique.

November Spawned A Monster

Okay, so I've come to realize that I'm perfectly okay with "only" posting here 4 or 5 days a week.  That's so much better than I was doing a couple of years and I actually enjoy those posts.  I have fun putting them together, they make me feel good.

It's been an interesting exercise, posting every day during November.  It's made me a bit cranky actually.  Feels sort of like this is a chore and not a joy. It should be a joy!!

I have something that I think is fun planned for December.  I'm not a bit Christmas person but this will be a little bit of Holiday silliness.  Hope you get a kick out of it.

In the meantime, I leave you, on this last Sunday of November, with some classic Morrissey. xo

Oh, poor twisted child
So ugly, so ugly
Poor twisted child
Oh hug me, oh hug me
One November
Spawned a monster
In the shape of this child
Who must remain
A hostage to kindness
And the wheels underneath her
A hostage to kindness
And the wheels underneath her...

Saturday Night

As I have mentioned before, I'm participating in NaBloPoMo this year.  Looks like I might just be able to make it to 30 days, in a row, of posting here.

In honour of this being the last Saturday in November, and because I'm lazy and needed some inspiration, I'm sharing a Saturday themed song with you.

When I was a little girl, this guy's voice was everywhere.  On the radio, on the stereo in the homes of friends and family.  He was, to me, the ultimate Canadian guy, a regular guy, just like the men in my life at the time.  I remember singing along to his songs, they were all very good for that, and stomping our feet, along with him, to keep the beat.

So, if you're a half way decent Canadian, you have figured out by now that I'm talking about the late, great, Stompin' Tom Connors.  I didn't know crap about cancon back then but I knew that he, Hank Snow, Tommy Hunter and Anne Murray were Canadian and that was a good thing.

Because it's Saturday in Kingston, I'm going to share "Sudbury Saturday Night" with you.  We're not exactly close to Sudbury but the sentiment expressed in this song can be universally applied to most small cities in Canada.  Enjoy xo

The songs that we'll be singin 

They might be wrong but they'll be ringin'
But all the lights of town are shinin bright-and we're all
Tight -We'll get to work on Monday-but tomorrow's only Sunday and we are out to have a fun day for it's Saturday tonight

Not Guilty, Just Pleasure - Lousiana Rain

Happy Friday everyone.

Hope you all survived yesterday's deep freeze.  Talk about a shock to the system.

Happy Birthday John

For Not Guilty, Just Pleasure Friday, I'm sharing a song by an artist I can take or leave.  I know that this is a guy who is beloved by many.  His music was always around but I can't honestly say that I was a big fan.  Having said that, "Damn The Torpedoes" is an album I bought on vinyl many years ago and still love.

Today also happens to be the birthday of the one the best guys I know (and he's one of my very best friends).  Happy Birthday John!!  
John is a fan of Tom Petty (I don't have a photo of him listening to Tom Petty so you'll have to manage with a photo of him listening to Bob Dylan) and I know that this song is one of John's favourites.  I hope you enjoy it as much as John and I do. 

Have a listen to "Louisiana Rain," loudly if you can.  enjoy xo

Cancon Thursday - Mind Over Matter

It's Thursday.

On Thursdays I always share a cancon song on this here page.

Today is no different.

Folks who know me well understand that I have a very broad definition of "rock star." Basically, if you are a musician and are in a band, I think you're a rock start.  If you have the ability to get up in front of a crowd of people (big or tiny), play songs on musical instruments and perhaps even sing (no need to sing if you're a surf band), well, I just think that's incredible.  It is something that I couldn't do in my wildest dreams.  If you can do that, I tip my toque to you, you are a rock star.

Sometimes, these bands I like become popular (ie they tour and their records get played on very cool radio stations) or at they least figure out how to successfully write grant applications.  These folks can make good looking videos, sometimes.  Today, I'm sharing a song by what I would consider a Canadian indie rock mega super group, TUNS.  The members of TUNS are Chris Murphy from Sloan, Matt Murphy from Super Friendz / Flashing Lights and Mike O'Neill from the Inbreds. 

They made a video for "Mind Over Matter" which is really comedy gold.  Take a look at these jokers in a great video for a fun song.  If you like what you hear, pick up their debut album, it's basically awesome.

enjoy & happy Thursday xo

Way Back Wednesday - That's How I Got To Memphis

My brother and I joke that we grew up in a house with two kinds of music:  country AND western.  Now that's not entirely true.  My mother had records by Sonny and Cher, Cass Elliott, The Beatles, Al Hirt, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Don Ho and Elvis (not Costello) among others.  It was probably true though that growing up in the 1970's, we heard a lot of country music on the radio.

Tom T Hall's voice was one we heard a lot of.  It wasn't until a few years ago, at the end of the series finale of HBO's "The Newsroom" that I was reminded of him.  His songs and great voice were overlooked by me.  I had, in my late 20's, gone back and explored the country music of my childhood but had missed Mr Hall for some reason.  This song, performed by the cast of the Newsroom, is a classic.  Today, for Way Back Wednesday, I'm going to share the original 1968 version.  It's 50 years gold but sure doesn't sound it and the lyrics are timeless.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do xo

If you tell me that she's not here
I'll follow the trail of her tears
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

Because It's Tuesday - week of November 20

As I have noted here before, and as I'm sure you have probably noticed, November is a dark month, or it can be.  The weather is colder, the days are shorter, depending upon your relationship with the impending holiday season, it can be depressing.  I haven't even mentioned how awful it is to read the news these days.  I'm not even talking about that mess south of the border either.  Right here in Ontario, the Tories are taking aim at Franco-Ontarians and gender diversity.  What the fuck!?  Things like that are being fueled by hate and ignorance.

At times like this, it's hard to see the good stuff in the world.  It's easier to focus on the negative and just wallow around feeling helpless than it is to look for silver linings or smack ourselves in the face and get up and actually try to do something.  I'm just as guilty as being a wallower as the next person.

When I went looking for a song to share with you today (because it's Tuesday it's got to be a cover), I stumbled upon a classic song being interpreted by the late, great Joey Ramone.  I did not realize that this song, when it was released, received no promotion in the US and that it was the biggest-selling single in the UK in 1968.  The late 1960's were another dark period, this song helped to show that there is still good stuff and good people around, you just have to look for them.

I hope that listening to this song, watching the video, lifts you up a bit.  It certainly did lift me up.  Enjoy kiddos xo

The Days of the Week - Wednesday Week

On this day in 1970 I officially became a big sister. 

That was a lot of responsibility to put upon the shoulders of someone who was 3.5 at the time.  Eventually, I grew into the role and ended up with the very best brother anyone could hope to ask for. He's a kind, cool, smart, funny, talented guy.  If he wasn't my brother, I would absolutely want to be his friend.  I'm so lucky that he's both.

Happy Birthday to you Patrick.  Love you more than words could ever express!! xo

For my "Days of the Week" theme, this week I'm sharing a Wednesday song.  I think this is actually a song that the birthday boy himself would approve of.  Thinking about it, he would have been 10 when this came out.  Yikes.  It's a couple of years old.  It's an awesome song by a great Irish band, the Undertones. I don't think that there were many bands out there who wrote about teenage angst and broken hearts as well as they did.

This Monday, I leave you with "Wednesday Week" by the Undertones.  Enjoy kiddies xo

Easy Like Sunday Morning - Walk On By

My easy Sunday morning this week featured cinnamon toast, hot coffee and last night's Saturday Night Live.  Added to that later on was laundry, my puppy and a good book.

I win at Sunday.

In keeping with my theme (for NaBloPoMo anyway) of "easy like Sunday morning" songs, I'm sharing a classic Burt Bacharach song, performed by the lovely Dionne Warwick, "Walk on By."

There are so many songs I could have chosen, they were a great team, her voice and those wonderful David / Bacharach songs.  I picked this one though, I really like it and you don't hear it as often as you do some of the others.  Not really a great reason to share something I guess but there you go.  My page, my pick.  Ha!

enjoy xo

another Saturday

I'm finding Saturdays to be challenging.

Not in general mind you, just as they relate to this NaBloPoMo thing.  I try to make Saturday be a day for me and I sort of shut my brain off, do some errands, see friends, simple stuff.  Actually having to compose something thoughtful and moderately entertaining is a big challenge for me on Saturday.

This afternoon, I was a big lump.  I hopped onto my bed and under my fuzzy throw with the new Jeff Tweedy memoir.  So far it's very good.  I like the way he writes, it's very similar to the way he speaks if you've ever heard him telling stories from the stage.  He's smart and funny and insightful and I think that the rest of the book is going to be compelling.  It's called, "Let's Go (So We Can Get Back)" and if you're a music fan at all (and particularly if you're a fan of Wilco / Jeff Tweedy / Tweedy ...) it's worthwhile picking up.

For extra excitement on a Saturday night, I have been working on my will.  I hate to admit that I don't have one but it's true.  Mark didn't have one either.  When he died, it was pretty easy for me to apply to be the trustee for his estate.  Our situation was very simple, I found the forms online, knew where our marriage certificate was -- note to you gentle reader, if you're married, always know where that is, you'll need it for Service Canada should your spouse die!!  I know that some folks would go to a lawyer for that but somehow, I was able to find the forms I needed online, fill them out and take them to the courthouse.  It cost me $12 to have someone notarize them.  I hate to think what a lawyer would charge.

Anyway, when I was at Blissdom Canada a few weeks ago, a woman spoke about her company, Willful.  They help you make a will online.  It's pretty easy, not super expensive and completely legal in Ontario.  I think it's legal in Alberta too and they are working with estate lawyers across the country to extend it to the other provinces and territories.  I have a couple of things I need to add to my forms but if I wanted to, I could it print it off right now, get some witnesses to sign it and it would be done.  Simple.  I'm not being reimbursed for this post, I just think it's a great product and it's costing me less than half what my lawyer's office quoted me when I asked them about wills.

On that happy note, I'll leave you with Jeff Tweedy performing "Let's Go Rain" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.  enjoy xo

Not Guilty, Just Pleasure - Out of the Game

Well folks, I have made it to day 16 of NaBloPoMo without missing a day.  My entries may have been short and not interesting but they are up.  I actually sat down, composed them and posted them.  Let's see if my streak continues and I can make it to the end of the month!!


So, today is not guilty, just pleasure day around here and that means I'm sharing a song that I love, just for the heck of it.

Regular readers here will have noticed by now that I absolutely love Rufus Wainwright.  His songs have been part of my daily soundtrack for a while now, yikes, almost 20 years now if I really think about it.

I love his voice and the way he writes.  He also interprets classic songs in a way that is definitively Rufus (and this in my estimation is a very good thing indeed).  For a wonderful example, you should check out his "Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall" album.  Listening to that is a fun ride!!

So it should be obvious by now that today's song is by Mr Wainwright himself.  I'm sharing "Out of the Game."  It can be a lovely earworm so be warned, you may end up with this fabulous song in your head all day.  The video is great as well and features the incomparable Helena Bonham Carter (wow!!). 

We've had a bit of snow here, you may be waking up to a winter wonderland in your neck of the woods too.  Bundle up, grab your favourite hot water beverage and check out Rufus Wainwright's "Out of the Game."  You'll be glad you did xo

Cancon Thursday - Leave Alight

For Cancon Thursday, I've decided to share a song by the wonderful singer-songwriter, Krista Muir.

I'm sharing "Leave Alight" with you today because I happen to love this song.

November is a ridiculously dark month.  It's also a cold month.  Dark and cold, not a great combination.  Turning on some lights, living "lives that are illuminated" would be good... of course, she doesn't mean just turning on a light fixture, the song is about more than that.

I think you should listen to Krista's beautiful song.  See if you feel the light inside of you, maybe you'll smile.  I doubt very much that her sweet voice could make you frown. For sure you'll be singing a long with the song by the time it gets to the end.  If you're very lucky, you'll be humming it all day too.  Enjoy kiddos xo

Way Back Wednesday - Eggs and Sausage

It occurred to me after I posted about my breakfast the other day, that I should have probably shared a favourite Tom Waits song with that post.  I did not think of it at the time so I'm sharing it for Way Back Wednesday.

"Nighthawks At The Diner" is probably my favourite Tom Waits album.  When we had our restaurant, we used to play it, in it's entirety, regularly.  For Way Back Wednesday, I'm going to share with you "Eggs And Sausage [In A Cadillac with Susan Michelson]."  Now, back in 1975, even in California, he probably wasn't singing about the vegetarian sausages I cooked on the weekend.  Most likely, they were pork breakfast links of some variety, his eggs were probably over easy (mine were scrambled).  

Thinking about "Nighthawks At The Diner" brought back some warm memories of our restaurant and all of the delicious breakfasts that came out of that kitchen.

Eggs and sausage and a side of toast
Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy
Chili in a bowl with burgers and fries...

May there be some delicious, warm your bones breakfasts in your near future.  With the weather turning cold this week, chili in a bowl sounds pretty good.  I hope you enjoy this week's stroll down memory lane.  There really is no one better to take a stroll with than Tom Waits.  Enjoy xo

Because It's Tuesday - week of November 13

There are certain songs that for no particular reason, just hit you hard the first time you hear them.  Like love at first listen.  Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" is one of those songs for me.  There is just something indescribable about it that I love.  It's a sweet song about love, evolved, mature love.  It's the kind of song you could dance to at a wedding or a 50th anniversary party... it is tender and simple and lovely.

Over the years, I've discovered that I have a lot of affection for covers of "Harvest Moon."  This doesn't always happen when you love a song.  Sometimes the covers seem tacky or silly or just bad.  Perhaps the folks who have covered it have done so with great care.

Today, because it's Tuesday, I'm sharing a cover by Lord Huron.  I hope you enjoy it, I really did. Happy Tuesday kiddos xo

The Days of the Week - Groovy Tuesday

For last week's first installment of "the days of the week," I kicked it off with a Monday song, "Monday" by Wilco.

I sort of like where this is going so for week two, we're moving along to the second day of the week, Tuesday.   There are a lot of songs about Tuesday and I've picked one of my favourites to share this week:  "Groovy Tuesday" by the Smithereens.  Originally released in 1986, it still sounds fresh to me.  The Smithereens have such a fantastic sound, it's ageless.

For those of you who were too young to remember the Smithereens, their music is on all of the places you are probably listening to music.  They are worth checking out.  Their songwriter and lead singer, Pat DiNizio passed away last December but I hear that they are still playing.  The songs are too good not to be played live, I'm glad that they are keeping on. If you like power pop, you'll love the Smithereens.

So, to start off this Monday, I give you a Tuesday song, "Groovy Tuesday" (sorry there is no video but the audio is good!!).  enjoy xo


Woke up on a groovy Tuesday.
Even my hangover's fine.
Woke up on a groovy Tuesday.
Hung my mind out on the line.

Easy Like Sunday Morning - Darling

Well I'm kind of just getting this one in under the wire.  Yes, it's still NaBloPoMo and I'm on day 11.

Today was sort of a weird day for me, not horrible but not good.  I spent a good chunk of the day waiting around for someone to come to house to do some work.  They were originally scheduled for yesterday but due to the wind, it wasn't possible for them to be here.  I understood, yesterday was a rotten day weather-wise.

In the end, I told them not to bother.  It was frustrating but it happens more often than you'd like to think when you own a house and you sometimes have to hire folks to help you out with stuff.  Blarg!

So I'm going to be keeping the theme of "easy like Sunday morning" for today even though it's clearly evening as I type this.  Actually, my morning was rather easy - I made myself veggie sausages and scrambled eggs with cinnamon raisin toast for breakfast.  Hadn't done that in a really long time and except for setting off the smoke alarm when I cooked the sausages, it was very good.

This week, I'm sharing a lovely, mellow and slightly jangly beautiful pop song called "Darling" by Real Estate.  I hope you enjoy it xo

Saturday

I've realized why I don't normally post here on Saturday.

On Saturday, I don't have a lot to say.  I usually do errands for part of the day and either see friends or hang out with Gracie (to make up for abandoning her when I go to work all week).  It's a pretty low key thing.  Doesn't exactly inspire a person to write something particularly interesting or funny.

I caught a chill this morning when I was out running around.  It was pretty cold and super windy, not a great combination this early in the cool weather season.  Caught me off guard actually.

It was good to get back to my toasty little house to thaw out and just hibernate all afternoon.  The pace of the past few weeks has knocked me out a bit so a slow day was nice.

I read a little, listened to some music, watched last night's episode of Bill Maher's show (because Sarah Silverman!), had a nice dinner and am now listening to more music.  Specifically, I'm listening to Wilco.  As a little gift to you on a wintery feeling Saturday night, I leave you with a noisy and beautifully crunchy live version of "Via Chicago."  Enjoy kiddies xo

Not Guilty, Just Pleasure - I Miss That Feeling

A year ago today, I said good bye to buddy Sam.

He was only 10 but had developed a rare malignant growth in his heart.  His poor sweet heart.  Losing him just about killed me.  It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do but I don't regret my decision.  I could have kept him with me a little longer but that would have been selfish and I ran the risk of him dying alone, frightened, choking, in pain... I could not allow that to happen.  In consultation with our vet, we made the decision to say goodbye to him in a humane, peaceful way.

He died in my arms, hearing me tell him how much he was loved.  I miss him a lot and it seems impossible that it's almost a year.  Gracie has had struggles with her health since he died, the two things are unrelated. Gracie was always the frail one, she always had more serious issues with her health than Sam did.  In all honesty, I always thought that she would go first and Sam would get to live to be one of those 18 year old Eskies you see online.  That was not to be the case.

Gracie and I are trucking along.  We keep an eye on each other, I take her to her monthly vet visits / skin treatments.  I think my van knows that drive to the Sydenham Vet Clinic without me even steering now.  I'm glad that I can do that for her though, keep her comfortable and as spry as an 11 year old arthritic Sheltie with skin and ear issues (and apparently, this week, an enlarged heart too) can be.

So, to make myself stop feeling sad, I'm going to share some music with you that makes me smile.  I have shared songs by Tennis here before.  I just really dig them.  I like their look and their sound, they have the total package.  I can't get to Toronto this weekend but if you can you should go and check them out.  They are playing at Longboat Hall tonight.

For those of you, like me, who can't be there in person to witness the awesomeness which is Tennis, I leave you with the wonderful video for "I Miss That Feeling."  They do have a bitchin' look, a foxy singer and a guy who plays guitar... Enjoy it kiddies and, if you have a pet, give them an extra scratch behind the ears from me xo

Cancon Thursday - Hunter St Blues

So, it's CanCon Thursday again.

This week I'm sharing a band with you who I only just heard of this week.  I checked out their bandcamp page (https://mayhemingways.bandcamp.com/) for a little listen.  I ended up quickly buying the 2 releases they had on the page.

I like their sound, a lot.  They describe themselves as fuzz-folk.  Whatever it is, my ears were enjoying it.  If you are going to be seeing Joel Plaskett this December, I think they are opening up for him again (they had supported Joel and his dad on their 2017 tour).  They are a couple of guys from just down the road in Peterborough making some excellent music. 

If you like to support Canadian talent, give this (Hunter Street Blues) a listen and then show them some love if they are in your neck of the woods this winter.  Also, you just have to love a video that features a cute puppy and duct tape.  enjoy kittens xo

Way Back Wednesday - You Can't Get What You Want

So I decided against sharing Bruce Cockburn here today.  Instead, I'm going to share another guy who I loved all through the 1980's (there were a few!), Joe Jackson.

His stuff has never left my regular rotation over the years. Some songs, like the one I’m sharing today for Way Back Wednesday is one of my favourites. Not just Joe Jackson favourite but all time favourite! I’m keeping this short because the last 24 hours have been a little whacky for me. Nothing bad, just super busy!!

I really hope you enjoy “You Can’t Get What You Want (til you know what you want). Happy Wednesday beauties xo

Because It's Tuesday - week of November 6

Happy Tuesday.

The song I'm going to share with you today could be posted on at least three days this week:

1. It's a cover (so hello Tuesday)

2. It's old (over 25 years since this cover was released) so it could be a Way Back Wednesday song

3. It's Canadian so it could show up on Can Con Thursday

I'm sharing it today though, on Tuesday, because it's a cover.

It's a great cover by a band who I'm not super crazy about.  I mean, they certainly had some big hits and they were catchy as all get out.  Honestly though, my favourite song of theirs is probably the theme from the Big Bang Theory.   If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm sharing the Bruce Cockburn classic, "Lovers In A Dangerous Time" as performed by the Barenaked Ladies.

Not sure why I thought to share it this week, maybe because it's election day in the states and it's feeling more and more like we live in dangerous times (and they are only going to get worse if folks don't vote today).

I'll say no more about politics for now, just leave this with you to enjoy. xo

The Days of the Week - Monday

How was your weekend?

Mine was okay, I attempted to rake up some of the many many leaves which have found their way into my back yard.  For the first time in over a week, it stopped raining so I was able to get out there. If you can believe it, it took a while just to clean off the decks, steps and pathways in my tiny back yard.  The funny thing about it is that I have 3 hydrangea bushes in my yard but no actual trees.  My very generous neighbours have all given me the gift of leaves.  It's the price we pay for shade all summer I suppose.

Because it's been so wet and rainy, a fair amount of leaf slime had accumulated on the deck.  I slipped in it a few times.  Never falling but twisting in a weird way to prevent the fall.  A fall probably would have been less painful than whatever it was that I did to my back.  I ended up packing it in early and doing 4 loads of laundry instead of raking.  Hopefully I'll catch a break in the weather later this week and get the back cleared up.  My goal is the week of November 19 because the city is doing leaf pick up that week and it would be nice to not have to haul them up to the municipal composting site if I don't have to.

I'm sure your weekend was way more fun than that.

Today, in honour of Nablopomo 2018, I'm introducing a new theme, "the days of the week." This will feature songs containing a day of the week in the title or in the band's name.  At some point, I guess it'll be safe to presume that you'll be seeing a lot of Happy Mondays and Til Tuesday here.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with this gem from Wilco, a live performance of "Monday" from their second studio album, 1996's "Being There."  Enjoy and have a happy Monday xo

Easy Like Sunday Morning - Say You Love Me

Sunday mornings at my house are not about rushing around getting ready for church. As a heathen, I can sleep in (as much as Gracie will allow), make a giant mug (or 3) of coffee and be a lump.  Often times I'm a lump doing laundry but the nice thing is that I don't have to go too far and I can just enjoy a peaceful morning.

In keeping with the theme of things being "easy like Sunday morning" (thanks Commodores!!) I've decided that on Sundays, at least for the month of November, I'm going to share some easy listening tunes with you.  I find them easy to listen to anyway, they aren't going to be songs that make you want to dance around the house in your under pants but they may make you smile and perhaps contemplate a nap.  After all, it is Sunday.


Today's easy like Sunday morning song is a classic from Fleetwood Mac, "Say You Love Me."  This video is a 1997 live performance by the group.  Christine and Stevie's harmonies are really lovely on this.  I hope you enjoy this tune and a nice mellow morning too xo

NaBloPoMo - it's a thing

I recently (Tuesday or Wednesday) found out that November is NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month).  I knew that it was also NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) but no one ever told me that NaBloPoMo was also a thing.  Not only is it a thing, it's a thing which has been around for a while.

NaNoWriMo always seemed way too ambitious for me to even consider doing but NaBloPoMo, that might be something I could actually succeed at.  I've been blogging on an off for almost 18 years now.  Even at my bloggy best I don't think I posted every day. Perhaps November 2018 will be the month of daily posts, every day!

Gracie watching me write - it's not very exciting

At some point during the last couple of years, I realized that I missed writing.  I'd let my blog fall to the side.  Every once in a while I'd post something but it wasn't enough to be consider regular.  What to write was often a puzzle and writers block is nothing to laugh at.  About 18 months ago I decided that I'd post once a week and the idea was that I'd share a cover song I liked, on Tuesdays, and write a little bit about why I picked the song, what it meant to me and perhaps even something about the original recording artist and the artist covering it.  Now, I didn't promise to necessarily write about all of those things but I figured that from that list, I could, at minimum, create a post that if I were to stumble upon it, I would enjoy.  You have to please yourself first, right?

Eventually, I worked my way up to 4 themed days each week.  The themes revolved around music.  I don't thing I'm a music writer though, when I write about songs, it's usually how they relate to my life.  It's more about me and less about the songs really.  Anyway, I've decided that to add three more days to my blog each week probably won't kill me so I've accepted the NaBloPoMo challenge.  I'm determined to write a post each day in November.  Obviously, today's post is not keeping with a particular theme but by Monday I'll have figured out if I'm going to write 7 themed posts or just wing it for 3 and keep the 4 themes I'm already working with.

One thing I have noticed about writing is that the more I do it, the more I want to do it.  It gets easier if I write regularly.  There are no promises that it'll get more interesting but quantity is more important than quality, right?

See you again tomorrow kids, xo

Not Guilty, Just Pleasure - The Dirt

Well, it's been quite a week.  Quite a couple of weeks actually. Between losing my Uncle two weeks ago, work being really busy at the moment, me being out of town for a few days and Gracie not feeling super spry, it's been challenging.  There have also been a lot of weird little things that were easy to resolve but time consuming and a bit annoying.

I'll share with you a recent example.  I woke up yesterday morning, sort of in a rush from the get go.  I was only working during the morning so I could take Gracie up to Sydenham for her monthly vet visit / medicated bath treatment in the afternoon.  I wanted to get into work a bit earlier than I usually do. 

All was going well until I started up my vehicle.  Juliana Hatfield was blasting out of the speakers but I could hear a weird whine coming from the engine over her sweet voice.  I turned the music off and listened to it. It was my hope that as the engine warmed up, it would stop.  It did not.  I turned the engine off.  I figured it must be like a computer, just reboot and hope for the best, right?  wrong.  I restarted the vehicle and the same noise was happening.  None of my warning lights were on so I figured it would be okay to chance driving it.  Slowly I backed out of the driveway.  It was working okay, just noisy.  There was no part of the sound that felt good to me but I needed to get to work and it would be another 90 minutes before I could call my mechanic.

As I accelerated along the way, it got louder.  It was very very loud as I turned corners.  I was starting to think it might be related to steering... I was able to get to work but was very concerned about how safe it would be to drive up and back to Sydenham, in the rain, with Gracie in the back seat.  When I talked my mechanic he agreed with my diagnosis that it was probably the steering.  He told me pop in on my way home and he'd check the fluid.  Sure enough, it was low.  He topped it up and will figure out where the leak is when I go in for my oil change next week.  If I've been the victim of squirrels again (they ate a really important plastic doo-dad while I was parked at a friend's house about this time last year) I'll be super pissed.... btw, have I ever mentioned how awesome my mechanic is?  He's honest and kind and does things like that on the fly for you, a genuinely good guy.

Something that has been helping me this week is listening to Waxahatchee.  Like, a lot...helping a lot, listening a lot.  Loving them, a lot.  They remind of a lot the bands I listened to in the 1990's, not just female led bands like Jale, Velocity Girl or Veruca Salt either, like Built to Spill too... they have a great sound and the more I hear, the more I get into it.

So, today, for not guilty, just pleasure day, I'm going to share with you "The Dirt" by Waxahatchee.  This particular performance was recorded live on KEXP in 2015.  Enjoy it and have a good, car trouble free weekend kids xo

Cancon Thursday - Having An Average Weekend

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably noticed that last weekend, I attended Blissdom Canada 2018 in Toronto.  It's a conference for women (mostly, there are always a couple of men in attendance) who blog, are entrepreneurs, and/or are social media influencers...  this post is not about that but I needed to mention Blissdom Canada for context.

In the mail last week, my pre-ordered months ago copy of Paul Myers' new book, The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy arrived.  I took it with me, hoping I'd have some down time in a fancy hotel to sit back, put my feet up and dig into it.  Alas, that was not the case.  I returned to Kingston with the book unopened.  When I got home, I dragged my bags into my room, threw them onto my bed and very slowly started to sort out my stuff and unpack. 

Everything was going well, I was organizing my chaos and hanging out with Gracie. When I came upon the book however, everything came to a halt.  I sat down on the side of my bed, intending to just read the forward (written by Seth Meyers).  Before I knew it, my feet were up and I was into it.  My bedroom looked like my luggage exploded, I had a bazillion things to do before I went out to see Bahamas that evening but I didn't care.  All I cared about was Paul's book about the Kids In The Hall.

When the show originally aired, I was a huge fan.  I never had an opportunity to get to Toronto for a taping of the show (Mark used to go, he lived in Toronto and was friends with the guys in Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet but that was before we met).  My friends and I would look forward to each show.  We'd always tape it (yes tape, on our VCRs) so we could rewatch our favourite sketches.

Reading about the Kids, hearing their story from someone who was there, who was their friend (and who is a terrific writer) is such a treat.  Eventually, I put the book down, unpacked and went to see Bahamas.  I plan to finish the book this weekend (I can't really risk picking it up again this week, I have too much to do - yes, so far it's that good).

If you're a fan of the Kids in the Hall, or just a comedy fan who enjoys biographies, pick it up.  It's a great read about a group of super talented Canadian guys by another talented Canadian guy.  Because it's Cancon Thursday, I'm going to share with you the theme song from Kids in the Hall:  Having An Average Weekend by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.

Enjoy xo