I'm offiically coming out of the closet. I'm a complete and unabashed pop tart.
I've been moved to admit it after stumbling across as 'Spice Girls History' special on cable here and being instantly transported to my uni days, much of which I spent dancing around my apartment to "Who Do You Think You Are?" Sigh.
Oh...and I believe I actually skipped more than the odd lecture in favour of watching Take That videos. Yes, yes, I know. Tragedy incarnate. But the things we do for love. Or specifically, for loving Gary Barlow. Double sigh.
Now THAT is a reunion tour I would fork out serious cash to see.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Oscars! (And all that jazz...)
Oh how I long to blog about the Oscars. Call me tacky, daggy and downright stupid (Hey! That hurts!) but I love the Oscars. In all its ridiculousness, it never fails to be...well, the Oscars.However I must hold off - I spent last night watching and writing my column about it, and so will post my thoughts up once the column goes online. Ah me.
In other news, I've started teaching Ella a bit of the keyboard - I'm not sure my teaching style is all that (I seriously need to invest in some official piano books so I don't produce some sort of weird Elton John having a seizure style pianist here) but so far so good. Da girl loves muzak!
And apparently I'm turning Jamaican.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Mildly drunken birthday thoughts
"29 today. 29 today. I've got the key of the door, never been 29 before..."Ha.
So...I'm a little tiddly, having just arrived home from a lovely 50th b'day party from a newfound friend right here in Canadia - where mania abounds, wacka wacka! (you see what I'm like when you get me drunk?) - and I just thought I'd write to say hello and...well, at 1 minute past midnight...happy birthday to me.
29 years.
It's my newfound resolution to be more real on this blog - i.e. to actually grow some kahunas to reveal more of my actual self on here rather than censoring the scheister out of myself which I usually do - so, let's start with a few home truths.
1. I know a nauseating number of old-time tunes, thanks to being raised by my grandma. From 'A wee Doch and Doris' to 'Oh, you beautiful doll', I have no idea how any of these will ever come in handy in my life. But I know them. And some of them, I like.
2. I occasionally freak out about whether I've made a massive boo-boo in putting life experience ahead of financial security, i.e. in pursuing an unstable career and doing the overseas thing with kiddly-winks in the picture, rather than just going down the law path or something. But, those moments are very few and far between. Most of the time - and I do say this honestly - I feel pretty proud of myself for having suitably sized kahunas to take the road less travelled.
3. I worry a lot about my Mum (my grandma, but she is who raised me, hence the 'Mum' title) and having left her behind in Australia. Despite her incredibly supportive reassurances, my greatest fear is that she will die before I get back to Oz.
4. I also worry about my Dad (my real Dad, but who is also quite old). We only met 10 years ago and since then our relationship has been kinda strained. It has improved since I got to Canada, namely cos it's been forcibly moved into written communication mode, but I also worry that something will happen to him while I'm overseas and that I'll regret not having made more of an effort to connect.
5. I want to be a good person. And work out what the heck this life is all about. And make the most of it. If there's one thing that losing my mum early has taught me, it's that life is short. And that you mustn't take people for granted. And that includes yourself - sometimes trying to squeeze every last drop out of life has sent me a little around the bend (can you spell 'pressure'?), but at the end of the day, I'm glad that I have had that perspective from the start. I'm very aware that my life could end at any given moment, and I honestly feel that even if that happened tomorrow - while I wouldn't want it to - I would feel pretty happy with, not so much where my life is at, but at the way in which I'm living it. I do feel like, for the first time ever, I'm actually doing well by my family and by my personal goals. I'd like to improve in a number of areas of course, but all in all, if I died tomorrow, I think I'd feel pretty satisfied with where I got.
Okay, enough tiddly spilling onto the blog. I need to save some for the bathroom now. Don't be greedy.
Please.
*Photo courtesy of a b'day pressie from the fabbo Louise.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Peaking
I'm feeling pretty much at the high peak of my manic cycle at the moment - life is all roses, fudge and calorie-free fairy floss. Bear in mind that I rarely write on this blog during the low end of the mania...hence the danger of me coming across like Anti-Depressant Barbie, but right now, I'm fully aware that this happy time will not last forever yet while it does I'm sucking it up like a Frosty Fruit. They're my favourite.
Firstly, I had a rocking night on Monday at the 3rd round of the Great Canadian Laugh Off, presented by Yuk Yuk's. We managed to score some babysitting, meaning that my Timmy was able to join me for the ride, which always rocks my socks. I felt atypically relaxed, namely cos Dan Rock (my headliner on the comedy tour just gone) had assured me: "You don't have a chance of getting anywhere in this comp, you're an Aussie (note, I think his point was not 'Aussies suck' but rather 'it's the great Canadian laugh-off and usually they don't even let non-Canadians enter') but you're really doing this so you can get seen by Stan."
He meant Stan the man - as in Stan Thompson, as in veteran comic extraordinaire and booking agent for Yuk Yuk's rooms across Western Canada and one of the Laugh Off judges. To cut a long story short, it looks like - without wanting to prematurely count my chickens - after chatting with Stan post-gig, I may be doing some regular work with him in the coming months which hopefully includes more tours. Which I am completely and utterly stoked with.
The other thing which has rocked lately is Tim's growing support of this entire thing. We're really starting to do this as a team, rather than a germinating reality TV show of 'Hubby vs. Comedy: a showdown'. We're starting to plan a family road-trip to Montreal for the comedy fest in July (hopefully with gigs along the way there and back) and my mother-in-law - with whom I've had certain 'disagreements' in the past about the whole family/comedy combo - is even coming to the party, offering to come over and hang with us for a little while later in the year during what we anticipate is going to be a particularly hectic month.
Rock. The. Kazbah.
Oh yes, and the icing on the cake is that in Canmore, this crazy little impossible-to-find-accommodation town, we've finally managed to score a house. We signed the lease this morning and everything.
So yes. I know full well the bubble will burst soon...but it ain't gonna stop me enjoying the float upwards in the meantime.
YAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Firstly, I had a rocking night on Monday at the 3rd round of the Great Canadian Laugh Off, presented by Yuk Yuk's. We managed to score some babysitting, meaning that my Timmy was able to join me for the ride, which always rocks my socks. I felt atypically relaxed, namely cos Dan Rock (my headliner on the comedy tour just gone) had assured me: "You don't have a chance of getting anywhere in this comp, you're an Aussie (note, I think his point was not 'Aussies suck' but rather 'it's the great Canadian laugh-off and usually they don't even let non-Canadians enter') but you're really doing this so you can get seen by Stan."
He meant Stan the man - as in Stan Thompson, as in veteran comic extraordinaire and booking agent for Yuk Yuk's rooms across Western Canada and one of the Laugh Off judges. To cut a long story short, it looks like - without wanting to prematurely count my chickens - after chatting with Stan post-gig, I may be doing some regular work with him in the coming months which hopefully includes more tours. Which I am completely and utterly stoked with.
The other thing which has rocked lately is Tim's growing support of this entire thing. We're really starting to do this as a team, rather than a germinating reality TV show of 'Hubby vs. Comedy: a showdown'. We're starting to plan a family road-trip to Montreal for the comedy fest in July (hopefully with gigs along the way there and back) and my mother-in-law - with whom I've had certain 'disagreements' in the past about the whole family/comedy combo - is even coming to the party, offering to come over and hang with us for a little while later in the year during what we anticipate is going to be a particularly hectic month.
Rock. The. Kazbah.
Oh yes, and the icing on the cake is that in Canmore, this crazy little impossible-to-find-accommodation town, we've finally managed to score a house. We signed the lease this morning and everything.
So yes. I know full well the bubble will burst soon...but it ain't gonna stop me enjoying the float upwards in the meantime.
YAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Monday, February 18, 2008
500 Posts Old
Happy B'day (of sorts) to the blog!
500 posts. Gees. I feel tired just thinking about that, actually.
Well, rest assured the entire tour was completely smashing, it's actually been rather life-changing. I'm dog-tired so will write more about that later...in the meantime, the latest column is up, if you please.
Oh, alright here's a few photos too.
Left: this was us stuck for a couple of hours during avalanche control. Remember I told you about that? Do ya? Do ya?
Right: my comedic and driving partner-in-crime for the tour, Meistro Dan Rock.
And left: Sunpeaks, a ski village so charming it should be outlawed, hereby known as one of my favourite places on the planet. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry chocolate sauce.
500 posts. Gees. I feel tired just thinking about that, actually.
Well, rest assured the entire tour was completely smashing, it's actually been rather life-changing. I'm dog-tired so will write more about that later...in the meantime, the latest column is up, if you please.
Oh, alright here's a few photos too.
Left: this was us stuck for a couple of hours during avalanche control. Remember I told you about that? Do ya? Do ya?
Right: my comedic and driving partner-in-crime for the tour, Meistro Dan Rock.
And left: Sunpeaks, a ski village so charming it should be outlawed, hereby known as one of my favourite places on the planet. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry chocolate sauce.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Reporting from the first Canadian on-the-road comedy tour!
Wow. Wow. Wow.
The tour is already going beyond my wildest dreams. Well, okay, maybe not my wildest dreams, in that Johnny Depp hasn't shown up and ordered me to milk seven grizzly bears in return for his undying loyalty....BUT it's been pretty damn sweet.
Rather early yesterday morn, my headlining comedian from the US of A, Daniel Rock, picked me up from my humble abode and we set off. With a final comforting 'Don't worry honey, you can call me any time you want!' to Ella (which ended up backfiring on me slightly with her proceeding to call me at 10 minute intervals for much of the day, sometimes even just picking up the receiver, hitting redial and singing Every breath you take...) we headed off. Where I was reminded of how much - with the absence of fighting and/or tantruming children in the back - I LOVE road trips.
The drive into BC is just beyond stunning - already I cannot even wait to come back with the family in Spring (which we are doing, by the way) to check it all out sans snow. Aside from an hour-and-a-half stop for 'avalanche control', where we proceeded to entertain ourselves by throwing snowballs at trees in an effort to thwart the system, the drive went smoothly with us talking pretty much comedy, comedy and comedy the entire way. I have henceforth labelled Daniel my 'comedic sensai.' Master.
Then late afternoon we arrived at the beyond adorably gorgeous ski village in the middle of nowhere, Sunpeaks. I wish I could get my freaking camera to work so I could show you some of my pics, but til then...you can click on the link if you're slobbering over your keyboard right now in anticipation. I certainly don't want any keyboards out there malfunctioning on my account. Suffice to say it's the stuff of which dreams are made - again, dreams sans Johnny - and realising our gig wasn't due to start til much, MUCH later, I proceeded to hit the hill for some night snowboarding, then went down and soaked my cares away in the hot-tub. Bliss.com.
We headed on down to the gig - I'm so impressed that with only a permanent population of 300, a place like this even has a WEEKLY comedy room - and waited for the crowd to arrive. MCed by a dude called Chris who uh...was kinda like a comedic Bob Marley, if you know what I mean, the show kicked off to very small but attentive crowd. There were a few hecklers but nothing too nasty, they just wanted to be part of the show more than anything .
Completely inspired by Daniel's philosophies on just being yourself and having fun with the crowd, I just went a bit nutty on stage last night...and had an absolute blast. I feel like for the first time ever I was 100% me up there and it felt so liberating. The crowd were wicked - and so was Daniel who ended up doing almost a completely improvised set, which I have to say is one of my favourite things to watch from other comics.
Beautiful.
Then I had the most delightfully uninterrupted slumber in a beautiful hotel room -
I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Except I'm here to sell my soul rather than my body.
Moiahahhahaha!
Today: snowboarding, snowboarding and maybe a hot-tub. Then we drive up to Kelowna (which I've heard is beautiful) for the night.
Tomorrow: driving all day to Cranbrook, where I will be reunited with the hubbster and kidlets. I'm anticipating spending much of the time beforehand freaking out about them all driving on the wintery highways. Agh.
Okay, what was meant to be a brief 'postcard from the road' has turned into a novelette. Anyhoo, hope all is well in your worlds - take care and will hopefully have photos sometime in this life.
Salada!!!
The tour is already going beyond my wildest dreams. Well, okay, maybe not my wildest dreams, in that Johnny Depp hasn't shown up and ordered me to milk seven grizzly bears in return for his undying loyalty....BUT it's been pretty damn sweet.
Rather early yesterday morn, my headlining comedian from the US of A, Daniel Rock, picked me up from my humble abode and we set off. With a final comforting 'Don't worry honey, you can call me any time you want!' to Ella (which ended up backfiring on me slightly with her proceeding to call me at 10 minute intervals for much of the day, sometimes even just picking up the receiver, hitting redial and singing Every breath you take...) we headed off. Where I was reminded of how much - with the absence of fighting and/or tantruming children in the back - I LOVE road trips.
The drive into BC is just beyond stunning - already I cannot even wait to come back with the family in Spring (which we are doing, by the way) to check it all out sans snow. Aside from an hour-and-a-half stop for 'avalanche control', where we proceeded to entertain ourselves by throwing snowballs at trees in an effort to thwart the system, the drive went smoothly with us talking pretty much comedy, comedy and comedy the entire way. I have henceforth labelled Daniel my 'comedic sensai.' Master.
Then late afternoon we arrived at the beyond adorably gorgeous ski village in the middle of nowhere, Sunpeaks. I wish I could get my freaking camera to work so I could show you some of my pics, but til then...you can click on the link if you're slobbering over your keyboard right now in anticipation. I certainly don't want any keyboards out there malfunctioning on my account. Suffice to say it's the stuff of which dreams are made - again, dreams sans Johnny - and realising our gig wasn't due to start til much, MUCH later, I proceeded to hit the hill for some night snowboarding, then went down and soaked my cares away in the hot-tub. Bliss.com.
We headed on down to the gig - I'm so impressed that with only a permanent population of 300, a place like this even has a WEEKLY comedy room - and waited for the crowd to arrive. MCed by a dude called Chris who uh...was kinda like a comedic Bob Marley, if you know what I mean, the show kicked off to very small but attentive crowd. There were a few hecklers but nothing too nasty, they just wanted to be part of the show more than anything .
Completely inspired by Daniel's philosophies on just being yourself and having fun with the crowd, I just went a bit nutty on stage last night...and had an absolute blast. I feel like for the first time ever I was 100% me up there and it felt so liberating. The crowd were wicked - and so was Daniel who ended up doing almost a completely improvised set, which I have to say is one of my favourite things to watch from other comics.
Beautiful.
Then I had the most delightfully uninterrupted slumber in a beautiful hotel room -
I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Except I'm here to sell my soul rather than my body.
Moiahahhahaha!
Today: snowboarding, snowboarding and maybe a hot-tub. Then we drive up to Kelowna (which I've heard is beautiful) for the night.
Tomorrow: driving all day to Cranbrook, where I will be reunited with the hubbster and kidlets. I'm anticipating spending much of the time beforehand freaking out about them all driving on the wintery highways. Agh.
Okay, what was meant to be a brief 'postcard from the road' has turned into a novelette. Anyhoo, hope all is well in your worlds - take care and will hopefully have photos sometime in this life.
Salada!!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Who's the Queen of Justification? I am! I AM!
So I haven't been posting much to the blog this week. This is for several reasons:
a) I don't know.
b) I'm not too sure.
and
c) I'm possibly just slack.
BUT...I have written a new column - I guess posting it here in place of a week or so worth of entries is kinda like handing the teacher a tapestry when she actually asked for an 800-word essay on Mongolia, but there you have it. I'm a renegade.
Only two more sleeps and I'm officially on tour. I'm heading up with Dan Rock, the headliner, to Sunpeaks (which I've been told is a beyond stunning ski resort, so I'm eagerly anticipating hitting the slopes between gigs - have I mentioned my newfound addiction to snowboarding? Between that and Scrabulous I'm seriously entering the in-need-of-rehab zone) then Tim and the kidlets are driving up to join me for the last two nights in Cranbrook for a bit of a family holiday. Well, working holiday.
Then next Monday night I'm gonna be doing the Yuk Yuk's Comedy Competition in Calgary.
And we're madly looking for a new abode.
In other words, there's plenty on the boil. Excuse me while I go check on the pots. Or something.
a) I don't know.
b) I'm not too sure.
and
c) I'm possibly just slack.
BUT...I have written a new column - I guess posting it here in place of a week or so worth of entries is kinda like handing the teacher a tapestry when she actually asked for an 800-word essay on Mongolia, but there you have it. I'm a renegade.
Only two more sleeps and I'm officially on tour. I'm heading up with Dan Rock, the headliner, to Sunpeaks (which I've been told is a beyond stunning ski resort, so I'm eagerly anticipating hitting the slopes between gigs - have I mentioned my newfound addiction to snowboarding? Between that and Scrabulous I'm seriously entering the in-need-of-rehab zone) then Tim and the kidlets are driving up to join me for the last two nights in Cranbrook for a bit of a family holiday. Well, working holiday.
Then next Monday night I'm gonna be doing the Yuk Yuk's Comedy Competition in Calgary.
And we're madly looking for a new abode.
In other words, there's plenty on the boil. Excuse me while I go check on the pots. Or something.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Lost and other grievances
Last night's episode of Lost just irritated me. I LOVED the first one of the new season, but last night just seemed - despite my reassurances from a recent interview I read with the writers - frustratingly boring. As my mate Marc said some time ago, it's kinda like improv. The writers keep throwing all these new 'offers' out there, follow each one through slightly but then just keep adding more offers into the mix so none of them really gets terribly far.
Add to that the fact that Claire's baby seems to never require feeding or tantrum stops en route to the other side of the island and, well...
Grrrr.
I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed lately what with all the big decisions we need to make at the moment - they all seem so consequential, but I guess in the grand scheme of things they're really not. I guess it's just because getting the whole fam to anywhere in the world is quite a massive investment, we want to be sure we've actually thought it through. And I had a massive tiff yesterday with somebody close to me - I don't want to divulge too much but it had to do with our plans and stuff. I just feel so frustrated right now...
Double grrrr.
Add to that the fact that Claire's baby seems to never require feeding or tantrum stops en route to the other side of the island and, well...
Grrrr.
I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed lately what with all the big decisions we need to make at the moment - they all seem so consequential, but I guess in the grand scheme of things they're really not. I guess it's just because getting the whole fam to anywhere in the world is quite a massive investment, we want to be sure we've actually thought it through. And I had a massive tiff yesterday with somebody close to me - I don't want to divulge too much but it had to do with our plans and stuff. I just feel so frustrated right now...
Double grrrr.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Ying and Yang
Some things are great - like my breakthrough in snowboarding, making more friends and the upcoming Yuk Yuk's Laugh Off Competition which I found out today I'll be appearing in on the 18th of this month.
Then other things are not so great - like missing people, not ever being able to get in touch with my sister and the freaking out that is finding our next abode.
I'm gonna make hot chocolate now.
Quote of the Day:
Ella: I love you more than anything. You are the best mummy in the whole wide world...when you get me chocolate.
Then other things are not so great - like missing people, not ever being able to get in touch with my sister and the freaking out that is finding our next abode.
I'm gonna make hot chocolate now.
Quote of the Day:
Ella: I love you more than anything. You are the best mummy in the whole wide world...when you get me chocolate.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Without a Trace and the Upcoming Tour
So I actually enjoyed writing that last post so much that I decided to go with it and expand it for my next column for the paper. Hence, it's now not-so-mysterious disappearance.
Yah!
On today's agenda: coffee, writing, tobogganing and a nice chilled dinner with the fam. And trying to sort out a couple of details on the upcoming tour. It's barely two weeks away, I've just been checking out the places I'll be playing at: Sunpeaks and Cranbrook.
They look very purty.
Yah!
On today's agenda: coffee, writing, tobogganing and a nice chilled dinner with the fam. And trying to sort out a couple of details on the upcoming tour. It's barely two weeks away, I've just been checking out the places I'll be playing at: Sunpeaks and Cranbrook.
They look very purty.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Covering Up
So I'm trying to get a set of cover songs together - with my awesome sidekick otherwise known as the keyboard - for enjoyment as well as having more regular opportunities to perform right here in the Bow Valley. When Leon and Ash were here we hit a couple of the open mikes locally, with Leon and I doing a few songs together at Banff (Crowded House, Chris Isaak with some Nick Cave thrown in for good measure) which left me starving for more!
However, while I love my potential set-list, it is a little depressing. Why, oh why, are most of my favourite songs in minor keys?
Sigh.
In other news, apparently Canada is now considered a 'dangerous' travel destination. I wrote about it in my latest column (which is now online if you want to check it out) so it must be true.
Quote of the Day
Caleb: "I want to cuddle Batgirl's boobies."
However, while I love my potential set-list, it is a little depressing. Why, oh why, are most of my favourite songs in minor keys?
Sigh.
In other news, apparently Canada is now considered a 'dangerous' travel destination. I wrote about it in my latest column (which is now online if you want to check it out) so it must be true.
Quote of the Day
Caleb: "I want to cuddle Batgirl's boobies."
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