in the morning // on your journey to the sea

last night i had the pleasure of seeing first aid kit live.
guys. i'm totally in awe.
have you ever ever been to a concert, where the minute they started singing, you had goosebumps?
they walked out on stage, and sang in harmony. and i was done for.
let me back up.
the show was at the danforth music hall..... and though i'm vehemently opposed to anything on the east end of toronto, i'll admit it. i was wrong... the music hall is a hidden gem. a hall among halls. do you know how many amazing people play there??? apparently i didn't until last night.
i was supposed to see first aid kit last time they were in toronto (april 4th - at the great hall), but through a mix up with communicating that there would be tickets at the door, i missed out (though i DID get to hear a large portion of their sound check... which was perfect). and i was devestated.
so, for my birthday, i received tickets to their show. didn't even know they were coming back, to a hall i didn't know existed. thank you jeff.
(PREFACE: sorry for the exceptionally awful photo quality) (who wants to donate an iPhone to my blogging?)
 first up was dylan leblanc - i'll admit it. i'm still battling a ravage cold, and was highly anticipating first aid kit. i wasn't a huge fan. i know. i know. horrible. but i'm sure his album is great - but as jeff and i both agreed, his live voice was a little less louisiana bluesy, and a little more kermit the frog, than i generally like.
alas. i got another drink, and waited. and the girls stepped out, in darkened lighting, and harmonized the shit out of their first song (sorry... forgot a set list. will update once someone posts one).
 they were wonderful.... every note hit on the head... and they swayed through every single song with their flowy dresses, and proper swedish attitudes. i felt like i was in the 70's. and it felt good. their voices have so much depth... and what i wasn't expecting? the little bit of headbanger in both of them. it was an entire show we got.... when all we were expecting was good vocals, and 2 cutie pie chicks. their stage presence was beautiful and sweet - and they talked JUST enough. they sang some old and some new, and reminded us of their new album, and played a sample of what we can look forward to. that, to me, is the perfect mix of music....
i also need to say: the drummer who was with them (excuse me for not knowing what his name is) was incredible. his timing was perfect, and he played in the background so wonderfully for these 2 strong voices. he managed an entire percussion section in the background, without anyone ever noticing he was changing between bass drum, and block.
when they came out, sans microphones, and sang with the crowd, i was in heaven. these girls can play like everyone. they sang with the strength of veterans, over the noise of the crowd, without their mics, and played along with themselves.
they were asked recently to play for paul simon, when he received his polar music prize. that's all that needs to be said about the amount of respect these two ladies have gained worldwide. they sang the song that they played for him - america - and had we not known better, you would have thought they wrote it. their arrangement was perfect. paul simon must have been in wonder.
i'll leave it at that - short and sweet. there are few words that can describe the exprience that is these 2 woman's voices live..... so if you have a chance to see them, please do. and, overall, if you've never spent time with this band before, i would have said it before, but i'm even more committed to saying it now: check them out.
their website of fun   //   get some merch here (i'm looking at that tote, because i'm SO in love with their logo - i was dying for it last night)   //   listen to some more of their music here   //   follow them on twitter (and maybe learn some swedish!) here
and.... 2 of my favourite songs by them..... their new video for wolf:
and my all time favourite... emmy lou:

standing still // moving quickly

not much to say today.... sorry friends. it's been a long 2 weeks, 1 week, weekend, coupla days. however, one of my fave writers on the net wrote something amazing, that i want to share. it really resonates with me as i go through this weird/awesome/awkward/unsure/open ended time in my life (do 'times in our lives' ever end?? do we ever just get to BE??!), and i read it and re-read it lotsa times. 
i think you'll dig it. it means something to everyone. even if you're the opposite of a person who stays in one place. 
VANCOUVER (photo by me from my vancouver vacation - on pinterest)


a few moments that settled more deeply with me in the essay....

 "Every time I quit it wasn’t because I was bored or couldn’t do the work, but because I felt like I had been there long enough and I needed to experience more life, more places, and learn more about people. 
....Of course, this goes against the advice of all the Bohemian and Beatnik writers and countless other artists who proselytize life in motion. There comes a time when you’re either traveling to gain experience or you’re running away when things get hard. I want to stay and fight. I want to fight my restlessness. I want to fight the impulse to drain my bank account as soon as it gets full enough. I want to build something here.
The idea of this isn’t romantic, I know that. It’s not riding the rails or living down and out or scraping by for your art. There’s no great adventure in signing on for another year. But my heroes have changed. Now I’m shooting for Carver and Bellow, maybe even Faulkner or McCarthy. As much as I loved Kerouac and Bukowski as a young man, I’m moving on. I’ve written those books. It’s time to aim at different targets.
...I can’t say this is my proper place, where I should be for the rest of my life. I have no intention of calling that shot. I’ll fight to make it work for as long as I can and if that doesn’t work I’ll make a change. But at least this time I’m not looking for another place to save me. Places never do."
TORONTO (photo by jeff kalman - on pinterest)

 i have to say, i'm still a person who seeks adventure, and wants to move.... constantly. maybe partially it's the ADHD, but i can confidently say it's mostly a longing for what else is out there. what have i missed? where else can i start fresh, and learn to love? so maybe one place isn't yet for me. maybe one place isn't about growing up, but instead becoming sure about you, and what is best/good/the right thing for you. that's what i like about this piece.... the exploration of doing what feels right. whether it's staying in one place, or jumping on a plane. 

thanks bart, for exploring.

tatted up by pen pals

so. i have a penpal.
well. i have a few actually - i'm quite spoiled.
2 are friends from university, both of whom i donned with in my last year there. 1 has been living all over, from martinique to (most recently) ottawa. and i get mail from ALL of these places! another lived in sandy lake for years, and has very recently moved to thailand to continue her teaching career (and as a side note: i miss her dearly). we send letters and paintings, and stickers and beads. we send books and writing tools, we send photos and stories. we have been penpals since we graduated university 5 years ago.
recently, i've gained a couple more penpals. perhaps it's because i love writing and sending mail. and most recently, i've gained a fun and totally likeminded penpal in meredith - and she's so great and wonderful.
do you need proof? hmm. you're that kind of a person. well, ok. i get it. it's tough to just believe.
then all i need to say is, temporary tattoos from tattly.
yes. i got temporary tattoos in the mail. from meredith. try to tell me your pen pals are better.
and, in case you were thinking, 'oh my goodness jamie, i want temporary tattoos so badly! they were my most favourite when i had pen pals as a kid, and i want to relive that joy', i will say to you, i completely understand. which is why the first thing i did after opening my pen pal package of goodness and love.... was research tattly to death.
so, you'll see the kick ass tattoos i got. and it's true - every day i AM hustlin. so it all makes sense.


every day i'm hustlin   //   book lover  //  pug on bike
but, if you're not hustlin everyday (only wednesday - friday, or something like that), then that's cool too! just check out the other amazingly awesome temporary tattoos that tattly has to offer. they're fun, and hilarious, and cute, and kickass.
and then, find a pen pal. and send them some. it'll make their day, i swear this to you. 

weekend in summary

well. it was a weekend alright. a weekend of sickness, and not doing anything i had hoped or planned. but it was a needed weekend of alone time. unfortunately, friday i found out that a friend of mine who had been in a coma since a serious bicycle accident 2 weeks ago, had passed. his injuries were too much to recover from, and he left this earth with his family by his side. needless to say, all priorities flew out the window, and this weekend became one of reflection and needed solitude.
birthday party attire for fall; the kidlets eating cupcakes; the birthday girl in all her icing glory; oh hi there - would you like some cupcake with your icing?; a birthday; opening gifts with dad; the book was a success; tuckered out after a party; sick day - including soup (my students once told me that i am the only person they know who wears jeans while sick); remembering pete; dirty jokes, and bad drawings; kitten friend being spoiled rotten; an article written by jake and i in first year - found by a friend (apparently we were always shit disturbers); sick day with a kitten. 
friday: i had a meeting in brantford, so i was lucky enough to get home in time for my nieces 1st birthday party (i can't believe she's 1 already!! i remember her at not even a week). we ate spaghetti and cupcakes, sang happy birthday and opened gifts. i got to spend the night with 4 of the cutest munchkins known to man. and it was all good. left the party, and drove to ancaster to spend the rest of the evening with jeff - wine and a movie was much needed.
saturday: woke up sick, and when jeff tookoff for his day of wedding fun with friends, i went home to my parents. i spent the day watching the food network, eating soup, and calling friends to let them know of the previous days events. after a quick nap, i ventured out for some time with another human being - and i got to hang with chantel and the baby for a couple hours before heading back to my parents. i spent the rest of the evening watching movies, and looking through old photos and comics that pete had drawn... including a personalized one he had made me in first year. alone time to reflect and remember that was much needed. i then was called for my chauffer duties, and went to get jeff at the wedding.
sunday: woke up early-ish, and spent the day hanging around. still sick, i didn't want to do much of anything. so we headed out for a booster juice (about the only thing i could think of 'eating') and to see the dark knight. afterwards, we stopped for some vietnamese food (i've had enough soup this weekend to last a lifetime), and then headed back to jeff's to relax. ate, chatted, and then i napped for a couple of hours. we then sat down for dinner with his parents, and helped clean up. then, headed out to the grocery store for sick supplies, and i was in bed early. trying to sleep away the sick.
even though i didn't get to my designing, or any of the creative things i intended on doing this weekend, i'm ok with the sleeping and alone time i had. sometimes you just have to be ok with it. 
sidenote: i'm so lucky to be able to spend time with people i love constantly - i can't say that enough times. and though it's cheesy, and corny and all of those things, in light of this past week's events, i have no shame in saying it. i get to be beside my little nieces and nephew as they grow, and i get to be with my friends as they raise these little monkeys. thank you everyone - who, as part of my life, make me who i am.
and also.... a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the little monkey. it's crazy to think another year has passed, and i get yet another little munchkin who i get to call my niece. i am so so lucky.... can't wait to watch them grow even more.
little baby g at barely a week, and at a year. same beautiful face.
hope everyone had a great weekend, and enjoyed the surprisingly dry weather! i'm in bed sick today, but still not minding the weekend that was had, and the cool breeze coming in the window!
happy monday everyone - be thankful this week for what you have.