Tag: fun and games

Greg and I went to the Collective Soul concert Saturday night at the River Rock Theatre in Richmond. It was good (parts of it great) but I don’t think it was worth the $75 we paid for each ticket. That’s probably a sign of age…not wanting to spend money like that.

It’s the second time I’ve seen them, and the first time I was quite put off by lead singer Ed Roland. He seemed very full of himself. But I love their music, so I went again. This time I was prepared for his ego, and he didn’t seem nearly as bad, aside from his relationship with his mike stand.

The problem with seeing my favourite bands live is they don’t play the songs I want to hear. They play the crowd favourites and singles from the radio. I have all of CS’s albums and I know their songs well. And my favourites are unfortunately not their crowd favourites. There were a couple of exceptions, but when it was over I felt a bit deflated.

On the other hand, one definite highlight was they played three songs from their new, yet-to-be-released album. I liked all three of them, and it was nice to get a taste before the album comes out.

So that’s probably the last time I’ll see them live, but I’ll continue to be a big fan. And it was nice to have a night out with my hubby.

It’s supposed to be SUNNY tomorrow. Yes, a bit chilly, but SUNNY. I’m not sure I remember what that looks like.

We are so going to the park.

I was just treated to a fireworks show, I think courtesy of one of the cruise ships currently in town. I was just sitting down to a cup of tea when I heard a bunch of noise. I looked out my living room window and saw some fireworks going off behind a tree. I went upstairs to our deck, and I had a perfect view.

Yoshi didn’t like it, but I enjoyed it!

I’ve seen a handful of excellent live performances over the past few years — plays, concerts, musicals — and after each one I remember thinking that I didn’t really want to talk about the performance, because it would ruin the moment.

Yesterday was no exception. Greg and I went to the matinée performance of Cirque du Soleil – Saltimbanco. It was, in a word, amazing. It was by far the best live performance I’ve ever seen.

This was our first time seeing a Cirque production, and my only exposure to it previously was a very brief look during an episode of CSI (my, I lead a sheltered life). So I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than some people doing some neat stuff on trapeze.

It was so much more. I had assumed there’d be music as part of the show, but I didn’t think it would be live, and I didn’t think it would be so damn good. Both the band and the singers were amazing. My favourite act was two women on trapeze, and the music that went along with them almost brought me to tears.

Then there was the variety. I thought it was just trapeze artists. But there was dancing, juggling, a guy riding a bike in as many positions as you can think of, a mime…and some pretty amazing trapeze moves.

I’m a really symmetry person, and that was one of the things I loved about the acrobatic and trapeze acts. And I think the symmetry stood out even more because of the performers’ costumes. They were perfect — just the right amount of colour, but they didn’t take away from the movements.

Anyway…I’m gushing. It was amazing. Breathtaking. And one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever received. Thank you, Mr. Fox.

I took Yoshi down to the water this afternoon for a walk. What a beautiful day. It’s nice to see the sun, and according to my car thermometer is was a balmy 12 degrees. It’s the first time I’ve walked without a jacket in ages.

Spring is close!

That was the forecast, and it was pretty accurate. Greg, Elliot, Yoshi and I headed up to the de Goede cabin this past weekend for a quick 24 hour stay. We knew the forecast was crappy, so we came prepared with rubber boots, Elliot’s newt suit and toys. I brought sunscreen as well, but that was just wishful thinking.

Elliot had a great time playing with ‘big’ E, and she was very patient with him as he reacted like a typical toddler when she had something he wanted. (Mouth open, teeth bared…okay, maybe not your typical toddler. Maybe a rabid one?).

Yoshi had fun in the water with Diggs, and Greg and I got to do some relaxing, reading and visiting. I think Greg made it through almost half his book, and I was at least able to start one.

But now I’m officially tired of the rain, and ready for some sun.

Last night was the big stagette, and it was a blast. We started out at the art academy doing some Jackson Pollock style painting, moved on to JP’s house, and then downtown for some dancing. A good time was had by all, and the ratio of pictures that will be shared to pictures actually taken will be very low, believe me.

Here’s KaptainK and I, showing off our bangles.

One of the advantages of not working Thursdays is when Easter weekend rolls around you have a nice five day break. Although ‘break’ is a relative term. Yes, I had a break from work, but I certainly didn’t spend a lot of time relaxing on Easter weekend. But that’s not to say I didn’t have a good weekend…I actually had a fantastic weekend.

Wednesday after work Elliot and I headed over to the mainland to see my Mum and to visit the newest addition to a childhood friend’s family — child number three for them, and a girl (after two boys). I walked away from that visit with a pile of clothes for Elliot, all in excellent condition. This boy of ours is definitely not hurting for clothes!

Thursday evening I headed to the airport to pick up a friend from Montreal, Kim. She came out for a whirlwind four-night stay. She and I met when I was at Bishop’s, many years ago. I guess we’ve been friends for 18 years. Pretty amazing when I think about it, given that we live so far apart. But we’ve managed to keep in contact.

Friday morning we drove through Stanley Park and went for a short walk around Prospect Point. This was my first real glimpse at the devastation from the wind storms this year. It was pretty incredible. The point looks very different now, and there are trees down everywhere. I can’t imagine what it looked like before they cleaned it up.

After that we headed to the ferry and made it there in time to claim our reservation with about two minutes to spare. Not smart to cut it that close on Good Friday with a toddler in the car, but thankfully we made it. Friday night we hung out at home and enjoyed some sushi.

Saturday we did a bit of a winery tour, stopping at Cherry Point and Godfrey Brownell. I’d been to Cherry Point several times before for our ladies weekends, but the visit to Godfrey Brownell was a first. I was pretty impressed. They are a very low key winery, and small still. Things don’t look as nice as Cherry Point, but the staff and owner were super friendly and the wine was amazing. We had a good tour of the place, complete with tasting wine straight from the vats.

We had lunch at the Grapevine Cafe on Saturday in between wineries, and arrived home in time for dinner with Greg and Elliot. Then we rented Blood Diamond. We enjoyed it, but it was pretty violent.

Sunday morning we had breakfast with Greg and Elliot, then Kim and I headed downtown for a bit of tourist shopping, lunch, and the matinée performance of Cats. We had front row seats which weren’t the greatest as we were a bit too low and a bit too close, but if there’s one musical to see close-up, it’s Cats. The costumes are very intricate, the makeup is amazing, and their facial expressions were fascinating — all of which we wouldn’t have appreciated from far away. Plus they come into the audience a few times, so they were a foot away from us. Pretty neat. The performance itself was outstanding. I haven’t seen it before, and I had no idea what the format was, other than it was a musical. Basically there’s no plot, they just go through introducing the cats through each song. I enjoyed the faster numbers in particular, although the woman who sang Memory was, well, memorable!

After Cats, Kim and I took the ferry back to the mainland, enjoying the buffet for dinner. Well, we didn’t really enjoy the buffet (it’s definitely gone downhill since the last time I ate there), but we enjoyed the scenery and the quietness of the dining room!

Monday morning we got up way to early, drove Kim to the airport, and then Mum dropped me off at the ferry. Then it was back home to take care of Elliot for the day, as Greg had to work. I was pretty tired, and Elliot was a superstar napper and slept for three hours. This gave me plenty of time to have a good nap, check my email and do some laundry.

I had a really good time with Kim. I felt like I was on a mini-vacation, partly because Greg was primary caregiver for Elliot, and partly because we did some touristy stuff that I don’t normally do. Plus it was great to have that much time with Kim. Our previous visits have taken place in Montreal and the recent ones have been really short because I’ve tried to fit them in while visiting my sister. It was nice to have three straight days of her company, most of it just her and I.

Last night I went to my third concert of 2007. That’s not bad, eh? Seeing as we’re hardly into February. I’m pretty sure I won’t be keeping up that pace for the rest of the year, but it’s been nice.

Last night was Barenaked Ladies, on their second night of their tour. The band is very entertaining, and their improv stuff is great to hear. At one point Ed Robertson was telling a story about a Triumph concert he went to, and he starting singing the first few lines of Triumph’s “Magic Power”. Did that ever bring back memories! And at the end (I guess he did this both nights, so it wasn’t ad-libbed), Steve Page belted out the last verse of “Memory” from CATS. What an amazing voice! But the highlight for me was Steve Page singing “Maybe You’re Right”, off of Barenaked Ladies are Me. It’s my favourite song from the album, and I think now my favourite BNL song of all time.

The only possibly negative comment I have comes from my husband’s influence. He once said to me that he likes bands who change up their songs when they perform them live. I initially disagreed with him, because I like to hear familiarity in a song, but after going to a few concerts with this in mind, I’ve changed my tune :). I’ve seen bands that change their live versions way too much for my liking (Dave Matthews) and I’ve seen bands that do it just enough to make it interesting (Great Big Sea). I noticed last night that BNL rarely alters their songs. For the most part, they sound exactly as they would on a recorded album (minus the cheering). But…not a big deal, as I do love their music as is!

All in all it was a fantastic concert, and I’ll definitely be seeing them again. As they said last night, hopefully it won’t be another 10 years before they return to Victoria.

As for the other two concerts…in early January I went to the The Tragically Hip with Greg. It was a good concert (much better than when I saw them at GM Place), but I’ve decided I won’t go see them again. I like their music, but not enough to pay to see them in concert. The plus to this concert was we had floor seats (not so for BNL) and it was easy to dance. The other plus was it was a night out with my husband.

And in mid-January I went to see The Rankin Family, who are on tour for the first time in eight years. This is also their first tour without John Morris Rankin, who died in a car accident in 2000. I’ve always liked the Rankin Family (yes, I’m willing to admit that), despite the fact that the sisters sometimes sound a bit like The Chipmunks. The concert was very enjoyable, especially the second half. They seemed to loosen up a bit and the last few numbers were outstanding. This concert was a Christmas gift from kaptaink, and it was great to have a night out with her.

Soooo…what next? Chantal Kreviazuk is playing the MaPherson February 8th, and I’d love to see her, but I don’t think my bank account agrees with me. So I’ll have to wait for something later in the season.