Seven things on an actual Sunday!

1. For the Monday market in the park.
2. For people who listen.
3. For having two articles written to go into the next issue of the paper.
4. For the ear and the deck of the Byles.
5. For "camping" at the Egli's.
6. For just being in my car driving.
7. For the sound of rain on the roof.

What is the difference?

Michael Jackson. I love his music, you love his music, we all love his music. I won't deny that he has impacted our culture in too many ways for me to rattle off. It's rather shocking that he has crossed on over to the side, and my heart is sad for his family.

However...

I get frustrated by celebrity culture -- all aspects of it. I am kind of disgusted with the way that our society grasps onto the lives of people who have a talent that is shared through mass media. What Brad and Angelina do is no more business of mine that what Mr. & Mrs. Smith do (haha!).

The details surrounding the death of Micheal Jackson are no more my business than the details surrounding the death of Andrew Hall, who plummeted to his death earlier this week in an office tower's elevator shaft in Toronto.

On second thought, I change my mind. Perhaps if our media and public want to be greedy and know everything about the death of a celebrity, should we not want that of Andrew Hall? Shouldn't we be glamourizing and then tearing down who he was? What's the difference? People are people, right?

Perhaps I'll google him and call up TMZ and tell them what I found out. And then I will hound his family while they are grieving and post it on youtube.

Yeah...that's what I am going to do....

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Just to clarify my bitter point...my frustration lies in that celebrities are made out to be people who should be praised and are role models, when in fact, there are so many people out there much more deserving to be praised and to be seen as role models. Why does the death of a celebrity outweigh the death of a regular blue-collar worker? I bet he made an impact in society too, as a father, as a husband, as a friend. The regular people deserve the credit too...

Rise and Shine!

I nearly spit out my cereal this morning when my grandma talked about my brother at my sister's baby shower they day before...

Grandma: "Oh Mike had a nice time. He enjoys things like that doesn't he?"

Me: "Yeah, Mike likes a good crowd."

Grandma: "But he kept asking me if I was ok. Ugh, he wouldn't stop 'Are you ok? Are you ok?' He wouldn't leave me alone!" (Said with a face of annoyance)

Me ~ waving my spoon in front of me, biting my tongue, and putting my spoon back in my bowl of cereal.

Grandpa ~ sees me struggling to keep the explosion of WFT inside of me

Me: (thoughts properly gathered) "Ha ha Grandma, maybe he's just getting you back for when you keep asking him if he's ok!!"

Grandma ~ not impressed.

Grandpa ~ laughing quietly at the end of the table....

What? It's not Sunday still??

1. For the many volunteers who signed up for the KSF.
2. For spending some great time with Gillian.
3. For making baby Julia laugh.
4. For knowing that I have friends like Gillian and Dan :)
5. For the Milverton Rodeo - always a blast!
6. For spending a leisurely afternoon horseback riding (even if my tush is sore!!)
7. For grown up Julia.

It can never be over-played to me

When I get a new cd, I listen to it over and over and over until I know all the words. I love new cds. I soak in the words, I feel the melody, I let it lift me away.

I have been listening to this new Madison Violet cd since the day they gave it to me non-stop. There is one song in particular, No Fool For Trying, that I find myself singing to myself when I'm not in the car (which is where I listen to my cds...). And I really like the message.

You are no fool for trying.

It makes me think about the things that I am doing, the things that I am trying to do. And it just reminds that even if it doesn't work out, I'm no fool for trying. At least I learned something and it propelled me forward somehow.

Just another Sunday

1. It's redundant, but for the Turkish Bread!!!
2. For the many compliments on the Festival program I've been getting.
3. For the beautiful countryside.
4. For being able to spend time with a friend I don't get to see very often.
5. For the delightfully comfy bed in the lovely farmhouse.
6. For keeping up the trend of stepping outside of the box.
7. For once again meeting awesome people to write stories about for the paper.

A brand new tune

I love where the world takes me. Today I had the pleasure of meeting with two young women, Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac. Together, they form the duo Madison Violet.

In all sincerity, I had only heard of them due to the fact that they are among the performers who will be at the Kincardine Scottish Festival. When I heard that they were coming to town for a cd release party prior to the Festival, I was stoked and jumped at the chance to be the one who got to write the article about them for the paper.

They really were great to talk to; so nice and very real people. I like running across people who are 'real,' regardless of what they do for a living. They both sat across the table from me, very patient and helpful as I scattered my questions, jumping back and forth on topics. I'm sure they have had their share of interviews over their careers, with interviewers who were like me, a little unsure. I hold the opinion that people are people, no matter 'who' you are. What I get impressed by is people who follow a passion and put it in their lives. These gals definitely fit the bill. They are topping the list with Faith, the 15 year old girl I've interviewed about her fundraising for mission trips.

They gave me a copy of their new CD, No Fool For Trying, which I listened to as soon as I got home. I think that the best part of meeting them today was discovering their great sound, and knowing that it will fit perfectly in my own music library -- it's completely the kind of music that I love. A great mix of folk and bluegrass, which, as they noted, this cd is quite stripped down from albums in the past. I wonder if I had come across them in the past if I'd be so fond of them. Doesn't matter now, because I think I'm hooked ;)

Check 'em out http://www.madisonviolet.com/. I highly recommend them! And really, who doesn't want to support Canadian artists???

The Rise and Fall

The world stopped spinning on Monday. There I stood at the bakery counter, my eyes roving over the options in the glass counter case, my stomach anticipating the deliciousness to come. They scanned and paused. They looked up and down in disbelief. Within moments, I knew my life would never be the same.

For a moment I was confused. I read the tag "Turkish Bread." Nothing registered, but I had this niggling feeling that all my problems would dissolve if I just bought some.

My body swayed slightly as the bell rang in my head. Finally!!!!! Turkish bread!!! Here!!! In Canada!!!! I blinked myself back to awareness (by now the girl behind the counter was staring at me, her eyebrow cocked questioningly) and said "Turkish bread? You guys have Turkish bread?" I ordered the medium size.

I'll fill you in on my delight. While wandering the lands of Oz about six years ago, I encountered food I had never known. A delightful treat was Turkish bread; it is this amazingly chewy, yummy flatbread that must be made by the gods. I really have no idea if it actually hails from Turkey, but let's just say the Turkish should be revered for this bread.

When I returned to Canada, I searched high and low for this bread. Continually devastated, I never found the bread. After about two years, I almost gave up on my quest to find the delicious bread. For the following four years, I just kept my eyes randomly peeled when I went into a new grocery store or bakery. I was giving up hope, I had lost the will to live. I mean, the will to keep searching.

So there I stood. And there it lay. The bread of my dreams was right before me. And do you know where I found it? In the bakery that opened up just down the street from my old apartment in Toronto about two weeks before I moved away. Ahhh, the irony of life. I shake my fist wildly at it!

I asked the girl if I could tell her a story. She said sure and I revealed to her my epic search. She took the story in with graceful rapture (ha, yeah right!), and then told me that their bakery chain (Cobs Bread, for the record, now go and find one and get the bread!) was actually a part of the Australian chain Baker's Delight. It makes sense!!!!!

Currently, in Ontario, Cobs Bread is generally in the GTA. And I will drive the three hour drive on a regular basis just to get it. That is how much I love it. My life is now complete. God bless you, Turkish bread.

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I think the best part of this story was when I called up my friend Charlotte to tell her what I found. She had lived in Australia for a year too, and experienced all that is delicious. And would you care to know her reaction? She shared in my joy, felt her heart rise, and revealed to me that she has been covertly searching for Turkish bread ever since she got home about five years ago...I promised to take her to Cobs Bread.

Sssssssss......7

1. For having over 2500 things to be grateful for already this year!
2. For drop-in visitors at the office! (even if one of them licks the wrapped up candies and puts them back, haha!)
3. For getting some new things to write about for the paper.
4. For the MIFF meeting.
5. For the peaches and cream oatmeal I had for breakfast, mmmm!
6. For the suggestion of going to the Stratford Festival, which I love going to...
7. For the meeting with Humber working out and officially being a faculty member there! Woop woop!