Matt Good + Massey Hall = phenomenal!!!

So I know I haven't blogged in ages. Truth be told, I've been in such bad physical pain I can barely sit for five straight minutes, and it hasn't been a pretty thing the last couple months. I'm not going to make this a whining blog though, just explaining why I've been AWOL is all. :)

So right to the main event: I went to see Matthew Good at Massey Hall in Toronto Friday night...WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW. The acoustics in that place are fanfuckingTASTIC!! I was in 2nd row centre floor, and my god, it was like the music was just surrounding me completely and blowing my little freakin' mind! Honourable mention to his opening 2-women-show, Dala, as well. What a pair of pipes those two have!! Very impressive.

Matt was in fine form, totally outdoing himself as per usual...I've seen him in concert 6 times now and this was by far the best performance I've ever seen. I sat through his two and a half hour show in spite of constant shooting pain in my posterior region (and those chairs in Massey Hall...don't get me started...I felt my chair was dropping closer to the floor by the second, and every time I'd shift, the chair would drop-recline; I ended up in the lap of the guy behind me five times during the concert...I felt I should almost propose to him by the conclusion of the performance haha o_O) and frankly hardly noticed the pain through most of the concert I was so mesmerized. Not only was his music beautiful, gut and heart wrenching, and his voice second to none in spite of his current fight with bronchitis, but his hysterically warped and funny sense of humour made it as much a stand up comedy show as a musical concert.

Sean went with me...Sean was not a fan of Matt's...now he is. He thought he was hilarious, and said he thought the music was better live than recorded, which he has never found to be the case with any concert before. This is the sign of a true artist...no "studio magic" needed!!

Matt's renditions of "Avalanche", "Load me Up", and "Metal Airplanes" were major standouts for me, though the whole concert was simply mind boggling in its sheer magnitude. Matt mentioned later that at one point he looked out into the audience and had a tingle go up and down his spine and an epiphany that this was the moment and he was destined to do this for at least another 20 years. We hope so, Matt!!!

I saw Matt backstage after the concert and gave him the dog portraits I painted him. He's such a great guy...I know I'm biased but he is!! lol

Here's a couple pics of him onstage, then backstage checking out the portraits and showing them to his crew and a pic of him and yours truly:

I see Matt again next Friday here in Hamilton at Hamilton Place...can't wait!!! hehehehehhehe *so obsessed*...er...I mean, I have such respect and admiration for him. All kidding aside, I really do you know...not only do I love his music but I love his mind, political beliefs, sense of haha, and just ...well...his humanity. He's the most real person in or out of the public eye that I have ever met, and his generosity, kindness and recognition/action toward the plight of lesser fortunate individuals is truly inspiring. The fact he can still laugh and even function after the personal trials he has endured over the last year is awe inspiring at the very least.

/end of gush (for the next five days until the next concert anyway teehee)

D.

Pain

Is not my friend. Without going into a total whining spree here, I simply cannot stand the pain that is my right shoulder any more. It's been going on for nearly a year, off and on. Mostly on. I'm finally getting an ultrasound done on it in a couple weeks, and it's not a minute too soon. When you can't sleep through a night without waking up to pop Tylenol 3's every few hours, to hold off curling into the fetal position and sobbing uncontrollably, I believe there is a problem, Houston. When you can't even turn light switches on and off without cringing in agony, there is a problem. Self amputation is starting to look attractive. o_O

....back to a drug induced (hopefully) sleep....

D.

happy autumnal equinox

I love the autumn. I don't know if that's morbid of me to love the season where basically everything dies, but I come alive in the fall. I have this sense of contentment, security...my childhood was kind of lonely, so I spent a lot of time outside alone with my imagination, maybe it stems from that. I always loved reading stories about hallowe'en, harvest, that kind of thing also.

I'm finally feeling a little better for the last two days, knock wood. I hope it continues!

I absolutely HAVE to get at this painting for Tara's wedding gift today; I've procrastinated this last week, though in my defense I've felt like doggie doo. It's so beautiful outside it's hard to be stuck indoors for any period of time.

*sigh* back to work...

Sickness and stuff

Well, in spite of all my good intentions, I have obviously not been writing in my blog every day. I blame this almost entirely on the germs that invaded my body a little over a week ago when I sat beside that woman who was sneezing and hacking. Damn her.

So for the last week I have been feverish, and generally feeling like hell.
And that sums it up.

I did manage to finish the second painting attempt of Matt's other dog last week as well. I think it's a little better than the first draft, and I'm all right with this one I think:

I did participate in a walkathon fundraiser to help the women's shelter in spite of raging fever on Friday. And I've managed to keep exercising even though I sincerely thought I might actually die a couple times while doing so.

Yesterday I found out he who shall not be named's child was born. I found this out by seeing his mother's congratulatory note to he and his (estranged?) wife on his facebook wall. Congratulations. And that's all I'm saying about that.

Sorry, for my lack of anything probably faintly amusing today...I'm off to try and feel better and to go attempt to teach some people about music.
D.

I said don't touch me.

The ever-so-accomodating Chloe, The Cat/Queen, showing me the love as per usual, last evening.

D.

I'm turning Japanese...

...I really think so.
I am so addicted to sushi, miso soup, almost all foods Japanese.

I'm making sushi right now for Braden (the youngest kid) and I to have for supper . ( Alex, (the oldest) is the pickiest eater in the free world, we won't even go there. If it weren't for pizza and peanut butter he would have wasted away years ago.) I swear I could eat sushi every meal, every day....mmmmmmmm....somehow I don't think that would be exactly good for you though. All things in moderation, including mercury poisoning, I would think. o_O Between sushi, miso soup and tofu though, yeah...you're basically looking at what keeps me alive. :P

Another hot smoggy day in the Hammer. You can't see more than a block down the road for the visible air pollution. Methinks I will be staying inside and painting once again today. I kindly drove the kids to school once again and will be picking them up after school, generous mama that I am. (Really I just want to keep them around a little longer for the cheap slave labour they provide. :P)

I'm nearly done the painting of Matt's second dog, Benji. Here's a picture of the portrait I did of his first dog, Casey: (sorry, crappy webcam pic, the batteries are charging for the digi cam)

Hopefully I can finish Benji's portrait in the next day or two, and I got a good start on the portrait of my sister's dog yesterday.

Back to my sushi preparations!

D.

Heat, paintbrushes and shaved pussies

Well it's a sweltering 40 degree celsius in the shade kind of day today and I'm hiding out in my air conditioning, painting. I had to emerge from my cave earlier when I couldn't find the ONE detail paintbrush I like and need, and had to immediately go to Michaels for a new one. heh. Two expensive paintbrushes and two new acrylic paints later ("silver morning", a new shade!! wooo! it sparkles) I dragged myself reluctantly from their premises. At first I thought my glasses or my sunglasses must be smudged when I came out of the store, but after cleaning both, I realized it was the smog and humidity that was fogging my vision. Sure makes one proud to be a Hamiltonian at times like that.

The Cat (or The Queen as we often call her) is sitting in all her glorious sovereignty watching me with complete disdain as I type this. (It might have something to do with the fact I'm painting dogs, or just the fact she has the most miserable personality I've ever encountered in a feline.) She's a 14 year old persian named Chloe, who loves me, and hates EVERY OTHER LIVING THING ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. She tolerates my oldest child and hates the youngest, which she proves pretty much daily by hissing, scratching, growling, biting him etc. I think it's because they're the same age, have grown up together and are jealous of each other, personally. So anyway, the bitch...I mean...The Cat...won't let me brush her, so once a year I take her to the groomer and she gets shaved naked. She hates being groomed, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for Lisa, her groomer. (Why anyone would ever choose to do that for a living is beyond me, but kudos to those who do!!) But she loooooooves how it feels when she's bald afterwards and acts like a kitten and wants to cuddle...well, as much as a cat who is completely anti-social would ever cuddle, that is. What always amazes me is how extremely tiny she is without hair. She's a small cat, weighs about 7 pounds, but man, without hair...she puts one in mind of a small chihuahua, or slightly large rat. Or maybe ET while he was still in utero.


I don't have pics from her being shaved two days ago yet, but here's one from the last time:

You can see the intense enjoyment on her face. Such a sweet animal.

Back to painting now.

D.