I Told You So

This morning I woke up earlier than I have in almost a year, pressing the snooze alarm at 5:36 a.m. As I sat in the Calgary Int'l Airport at Gate 45, waiting to board my flight to Victoria, British Columbia, I started a new game called "How many Team Canada jerseys can you spot in two minutes?" After my attention span tired of that game I shifted tired weight from one foot to the other and waited in line at Starbucks, (Soy Vanilla Latte. You saved my life) I listened to a lovely woman two people behind me offer a girl on crutches to carry her coffee, a task not easily done when both arms are tied up. The injured woman smiled broadly and said, "that would be awesome. I'll buy you a coffee if you can carry mine!" Made me terribly proud of being Canadian, I mean, where else would this happen?

Sitting down, I took out my iPod and cracked a book. Letting the caffiene and the sweet nutty taste of Soy slowly pull up my falling eyelids. As it would happen most times, my lovely iPod knew just what to play for me as I touched and illuminated the "Shuffle" option on the screen. Slouching back, my ears filled with the sweet sounds of Aidan Knight. Thirty minutes flew by and next thing I knew a snaking line of eager travellers formed in front of the gate.

A quick and painless hour and fourty minutes went by with only sparatic cries from the toddler one row back. I finally got the chance to make a dent in my most recent literary conquest - "He Died With A Felafel In His Hands".

As I landed, my purse across one shoulder, yoga mat on the other, I saw the friendly and loving face of my high school friend and kindred spirit Kat. For those of you who don't know her, she is my grounded, yoga practicing, composting, recycling, biking, smiling, giving, hippy friend. She stood at the arrival doors with a bouquet of 6 freshly cut yellow daffodils from her garden tied together with a blue silk bow. How on earth could I ask for anything more? I was already incredibly excited to be on a plane to somewhere foreign and fantastic. But, to be greeted by a warm, smiling, flower holding friend? Life is too good.

We stepped outside and I took the deepest breath of fresh, humid, rainy air which filled my lungs and seeped into my pores. Everything was green. The grass, the trees, the moss, the buds on the trees. Life was everywhere I looked.

I settled my things into Kat's vacant roomates humble abode and we trekked out to her second class. Earth and Ocean Science. By the time we crossed the street from Kat's house, I was suddenly in Fern Gully. The trees reached the sky and were cloaked in deep green moss, while the ground was wet and cool. Our footsteps; instead of making the rough "click, clack" on pavement made muted "thump, thumps" on the wet earth. After hanging out and learning about Paleolithic stone eras and the arrival of Oxygen on the planet we headed back home for a wicked lunch and an even better music swapping session.

Following tea we headed down to the beach. "To the beach, to the beach. After we climb up this mountain, we will go to the beach." (Jon&Roy, check out 5 or so posts down friends.) Even though the sky was overcast and the rain was drizzling, I couldn't wipe the smile from my face even if I had wanted to.

All my friends told me when I went to Victoria I wouldn't want to come home. Well feel free to say I Told You So whenever.

Tomorrow's adventures?
Breakfast, Yoga, Shopping, Dinner, Pubs, New Friends, Old Friends, Laughs and most of all, Love.

Peas,

Brie

Nostalgia

The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.^[1] The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος, nóstos, "returning home", a Homeric word, and ἄλγος, álgos, "pain" or "ache".

This. and This. Make my heart hurt.

"Was it something dangerous? Was it something marvelous? I don't get out that much.. need you to be my eyes."

Being a full-time student and unemployed can be wonderful. Until it comes to that small issue of cash/money. I am slowly driving myself further and further into debt not by buying textbooks, or paying for parking at MR.U, but by buying tickets to numerous live shows around Calgary. If this isn't an appropriate use of a student loan I don't know what is.

Most recently I went to see Aidan Knight perform with Dan Mangan.

Aidan and his red toque hit the stage at around 10:30 p.m. which by this time I had already consumed half a bottle of wine and two beers. Part On Wayne, Party On Garth.

Mr. Knight was noticably comfortable on stage, after all he has been performing in bands since he was 17. He chatted amicably with the crowd and made cute jokes about pre-pubescent voice cracks. Personally, I would have been happy if he was the only act. But I was in for so much more awesome-ness. His first solo album Versicolour is available for purchase on March. 2nd. For those of you who would rather cozy up to the warm sounds of Vinyl, pre-order Versicolour on 12" Vinyl at www.aidanknight.bandcamp.com.

Dan took the stage a shortly after and put a huge smile on everyones face as he opened with Road Regrets. Later on, his band consisting of his drummer, Aidan on electric guitar, and his stand up bass player, joined him to play tracks from his critically acclaimed CD Nice, Nice, Very Nice.

Getting closer to the tail end of his set he realized he had cut open his thumb. To which, a very nice concert goer took it upon herself to find the nearest first-aid box and grab him a band-aid. For that, the entire crowd was rewarded with a everyone's favorite sing-a-long song "Robots". Dan and the band had the 400 person venue on their feet, hands clapping in the air shouting how "Robots need love too, they want to be loved by you".

I was still anxiously awaiting for Dan+Aidan to play "Jasper" {Aidan had promised in his set that it would get played that night}. They ended up finishing the set with it. Dan's deep raspy vocals offered a thick backing to Aidan's clear melodic voice.

As if the show couldn't get any better, for the encore they returned to the stage briefly only to grab the bare necessities and then head out into the middle of the exuberant crowd for an unplugged version of "So Much For Everyone". The entire venue was standing on chairs and singing harmonies never wishing for the song to end.

Oh, and then we made Aidan do shots with us.

Sorry for that Aidan.

Peas & Luhv,

Brie

Sister.Act.2

I haven't willingly set foot into a church for almost 3 years. But give me an MBF concert and me and my new purple Keds were there.

The wooden vaulted ceilings of Knox United Church gave Michael's songs a new life and sound I have never heard before. With around 70 youthful, harmonized voices backing him up, the entire church was vibrating with such positive energy.

An incredibly cool add-on to the show was this incredible artist {whose name is completely escaping me at the moment. If someone reads this and knows who it is PLEASE let me know so I can give her props!} who was painting massive white canvases while Michael played. They were stunningly beautiful. To top it off, they were being sold after the show with half of the proceeds going to charity. Preettyy Freeeaakin Cooool.

I am convinced that Michael's idea of having a hundred-person choir perform with him was so he could simply re-enact a scene from his favorite movie Sister Act 2. :)

But for serial, for the 4 times that I have seen Michael live, I was completely blown away and speechless by the end of the night. With powerful&soulful renditions of Maxine, Black & White Phonetics and the most joyous version of Brand New Spaces I have ever heard; I think it's safe to say that everyone left that church happier than they arrived.

For anyone in Kelowna tonight, check him out at The Habitat. You won't regret it. And if you DO. Feel free to let Michael know. :)

Peas & Luhv.

Brie

Phuck Fog.

Tonight, I was so excited to go see Aidan Knight and Dan Mangan play at Communitea Cafe. I bought my tickets three days after I heard he was playing the cafe. And I'm sure anyone who follows me on Twitter was probably saying "O.K. We get it, your going to see Dan Mangan. Now Shut it!"

Once we head out on the No. 1 Highway to Canmore. There is a thin layer of fog - but I think, it will probably lift by the time we get down the highway.

I was wrong. So very wrong.

We were so beyond "fog lamp" territory. To the point where none of us could see what was directly in front of the car.

I know that we made the right choice to turn around and come back home. As lovely and talented and splendid as Dan is, he isn't worth 3 girls lives. But part of me thinks we probably could

have made it, and the fog would have lifted by the time the show was done. But that probably wouldn't have happened.

To add insult to injury, his show in Calgary (which I decided to for-go buying tickets for because I wanted to see him the small cafe atmosphere) is completely sold out!

Mother Nature and I are fighting