He is at the airport as we speak, on his way to beautiful Nova Scotia. I sure hope he makes his connections and everything works out. I try not to worry, but it's hard not to. Ach.

And so soon we will be leaving for NZ and Australia! Travel travel travel. My main concern at the moment is eating everything in the fridge. I hate to waste anything. I'm pretty on top of it though. I kind of like the challenge of making meals with limited ingredients. I feel a bit like I'm on that cooking show where they give you four or five things and then - go! Go make a meal! Find a way!

Ha. So far no one has complained too much. Actually I think I have been very creative and possibly I might just win that show.... Except I don't think I would like to cook with meat if they gave me that. Then I'd probably lose. Never mind. I'll just cook for David.

Today my ingredients are potatoes, chick peas, tomatoes and onions. I know it doesn't sound wonderful, but maybe I might come up with something good. Don't judge just yet. 

It's nice to know that leaving an apartment there will be someone around and pipes won't freeze, nothing terrible will likely happen. It's comforting to me. 

We have to do a proper rehearsal today for our gig at the museum tomorrow, so that might be kind of fun. 

Anyway - happy Monday yous

J

We chose our song 'Hi' from the third album 'Heart Shaped Rooms' for our Sunday morning live session. Weird. Haven't played that song in ages. It's a song about being too shy to talk to someone. And the whole anxiety around putting yourself out there. I like it. Funny how you go back to a song and you like it better than you remember. Ach.

And Sunday will find us spending time with the man child. Taking him to hockey, then having a little time with him before he heads off to NS for the holidays tomorrow. Oh man child, you're loveable. We are going to have the non-traditional meal of beyond burgers and fries! Ha! I'm excited for that! I've spent so many years doing giant meals with everything for everyone, I appreciate not doing it sometimes.

I hope this Sunday you have something somewhat relaxing or at least not horribly unpleasant. 

I'm just enjoying cuddling with my coffee cup for as long as I can get away with it ....for the moment at least. Then I'm sure I'll spring into action and enjoy the day. I hope you do too :)

Happy day

J

Just got back from Sea Spray Laundry with our first go of doing laundry laundromat style since the land before time. And we did it! Seemingly simple instructions, we loaded up 3 washers. Noticed this sign with the checking pockets thing. How many times have you done laundry to find tissues or paper throughout everything.

Well I'm here to tell you that this time was no different. As we watched the laundry tumbling around in the dryer I couldn't help but see bits of tissues all mixed up with t-shirts and leggings. Who is to blame one asks..... the one who never ever carries tissues around? Or the one who swears they always remove tissues from their pockets. I ask you. Does this person look innocent of pocketing tissues to you? 

He is the key suspect for me. Just saying.

Anyway the clothes are now clean if not infected with tissue specks.

Now on to more recording. And it is Friday! Have a wonderful day all :)

J

is everywhere. How is it that every single place I might want to go has decided that I want to listen to Christmas music? If it ever was tolerable in small doses, it becomes maddeningly violence-provoking at the over-saturation level we find ourselves in at the moment. I'm surprised people aren't stabbing themselves on the streets to be honest. How will we all cope?

I had errands to run at 5 different places today, which is a lot for a Janet on any day. I started out mildly amused at the different types of Christmas music that was playing, but by the end of it, I was ready to impale myself on the nearest fence post. Nevermind that last night the drinks we went for with friends had LIVE Christmas music. Never mind that Uke group played ALL Christmas music the night before. I might already be mad.

I try to avoid such traumatic things. I try to set myself up for good outcomes. But I tell you, it's either stay home and not participate in the society expectations at all, or subject myself to a full on onslaught of Christmas cheer. Help I say. Help. Where is the safe places for those of us that just want to be with lovely people without fear of sleigh bells and Mariah Carey. Sorry Mariah, I hate to lump you in there, but if I was ever going to be a fan, those thoughts were banished with the Christmas music onslaught. 

I apologize. Maybe there is a whole bunch of people that aren't feeling what I'm feeling and are loving all of this. If that's you, I'm glad you're happy. I'll just stay home with my crotchety self eating whatever I can find in the pantry because I'm too afraid to go to the grocery store.

J

Last night was ukulele night for our uke circle. What a lovely group of people choose to play ukulele and sing songs, I must say. We almost didn't go since you can imagine, there is the threat of it being Christmas themed. And alas, we were not wrong in this guess. It was all Christmas music, every bit.

But you know, I am crusty and cranky and grinchy, ok we know that. But I do get kind of dragged into singing and playing when I get going. Next thing you know, there I am belting out the harmony line from Wham's christmas song 'Last Christmas'. Dear God. 

Then we went for a Christmas drink which was a lovely time of telling stories and socializing. Made me feel all happy and gushy inside. Almost like when the Grinch's heart grows in size. Remember that, when he gets all happy and then saves Christmas? Well there is no fear of that from me, but it was lovely to spend time with such nice people.

Anyway, today I will work at the guitar shop and David will work on recording as another Wednesday begins.

Have a lovely day yous

J

So this effort in minimizing our belongings into apartment living is still a struggle. I am very proud of us getting to the level we are. There is still room (and necessity) to level up however. 

That's ok. We work away at such things. In the meantime, I am enjoying little things that I love that were were somewhat buried in the multitude of possessions we owned. My wooden crow is one of my favourite things. I don't have room for many ornamental types of things anymore, but the fact that he made the cut and is looking down at me right now makes me happy.

I named him after our pet crow 'Rory' that we had when I was younger. The real Rory was a fun loving yet mischievous bird. He would hide precious treasures (like wrenches, watches...) in the woodpile, swoop down from the sky and steal a plum right from your hand, and sometimes pluck off clothespins that were holding clothes on the clothesline. That last scheme resulted in clothes blowing all across the strawberry fields and nearly to the lake sometimes.

It was an incredible enriching experience to have some time with a crow, and he was such a crazy guy. I remember once he landed on a u-picker who had been picking strawberries innocently. The poor man must have got quite a shock to have a crow come down from the sky and land on his back while he was bent over picking! Ha.

Anyway, I like you Rory. The memories make me smile. Weeding and culling possessions has made me appreciate the really lovely ones that I decided to keep. This process continues to be a learning experience.

Anyway - Happy Tuesday everyone. No getting stressed out.

J

'In a world full of choices, I choose me'. That's what someone posted on their facebook page this morning as I perused through the feed. I really like it. It's all too easy to think you've got to be someone else or some other way, but choosing yourself is a beautiful and unique choice that fulfills itself more than any other choice could.

We went to the Junction Function last night. It was a tremendous time. We played 2 sets over the evening and met some truly unique and beautiful people. I love the whole philosophy of celebrating the unique oddities we all have and the Junction really seems to embrace that. Oh there was food bites and drinks and all sorts of artists displaying and selling their beauties, as well as us playing our usual twisted folk with some stories thrown in - a proper feast for the senses. A blast.

And now it is time for Monday and I am hereby deciding to choose myself. I am not always sure about that person, she is fairly eccentric and sometimes unsure about how the world might receive her full-on, but I think I'll risk her. She probably just needs a little coaxing out, maybe some reassurance. It's ok!  I really like the path I am on right now. It feels right. I love meeting folks that are comfortable in their own skin. Especially when they are a little off-centre. It kind of makes me relax a little. Realizing it's ok to be a little off or different. It's even good and beautiful.

Yep - choosing me. Why not choose yourself too. I like you. Just exactly for your own self.

J

Well it is warm again (at least inside our apartment)! The heat is fixed and I am spending less time in the sleeping back with Frank the hot water bottle. Frank and I go way back and we hadn't been spending much time together. The cold has brought us close again. A nice winter story.

Sunday morning we tried our facebook live from the new apartment today. We also tried using the computer but a couple of things happened. One, we were the right way around for once! Yay! But, the other thing that happened was that the sound was not really wonderful and it ended up coming out a bit tinny and not great. Oh well. I think the song went well, just not the sound so much.

And today we are playing at the Junction Christmas party in the afternoon. I am really looking forward to that as the folks there are just wonderful. They really embrace all the arts and enjoy the weird eccentricities we all seem to have. My kind of people. 

Taking the man-child to sledge hockey at some point too. It seems it may be a fairly busy day. Fun though. And the warm on the inside helps to brave the cold of the outside. At least it's only -15 or so. It could be so much worse.

Happy Sunday, see ya

J

It is cold. And you know, I do complain about the cold plenty. I'm not really a fan. But as a twist, the cold decided to come inside and try and get me since I tend to avoid the outside at such temperatures.

Somewhere in the middle of the night I realized I was freezing. More than usual. This made me hide in my bed for much longer than I should have because I wasn't really wanting to face the outside of the covers.

Well, it turns out there is no heat at our apartment! Why not? I have no idea. I am sitting here with several layers of clothing on, wrapped in a blanket, hoping some in charge type of person makes the radiators warm again. What a pain.

Maybe we will go to a warm place and have a cuppa. Maybe all will be solved if we go away and come back later. Here's a photo of our practice space. Too cold for the little darlings right now, they are snug in their beds. But it is a nice space if it warms up again.

Cheers! Here's wishing you warmth :)

J

I did. The poor people. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wanted me to do a survey on one of the courses of my Masters degree. The course was mathematical modelling. Although I loved the course (who wouldn't right?) I have now renounced science in lieu of folk music. I am not sure these are the answers she necessarily wanted for her survey.

Sadly, the bureaucracy and pig-headedness that has dominated health policy has turned me off probably for ever. The joy and creative way I have loved to approach science problems is now reserved for quirky folk songs.

I did answer her questions. I did love the course. But I renounce all of it.

And then the bitter science girl lived happily ever after with her mandolin and bouzouki.

la la la la la la la

Hey it's Friday! Let's do some fun stuff eh? Yeah!

TGIF

J