Sunday, December 31, 2006

Epic Christmas Adventures Part 2, Winnipeg

We flew into Winnipeg on December 21st, and arrived just after midnight. It wasn't THAT cold.... But still cold enough for SNOW! YAY!!

After a day and a bit of lazing around, Jeremy and I, along with his sisters, Tamara and Natasha, ventured out to see a movie. We had decided beforehand that we'd see Night at the Museum together, and we weren't disappointed! It was entertaining and we had a great time!!

Feeling the lack of any physical activity combined with indulging too many holiday treats, Jeremy and I decided to go for a walk when we got home from the movie. There was a pretty fantastic house not too far from his that we wanted to get a picture of.
This picture doesn't quite do the insane, over the top, decorating justice- but I liked that you can see my frosty breath!! I also like the eerie effect the glowing red Santa creates in the upper right hand corner. I also have a fondness for Christmas light pictures that turn out like this:


On the way home we happened upon
an opportunity that I seldom find......

A chance to practice my slam dunk!!!





Christmas eve was a day of trains! We went for a nice walk in the afternoon, and happened upon these photo opportunities......

This was another fun picture....... (even though it's not really part of the train theme)
Christmas eve night we all piled into the car (3 in the front, 3 in the back) and made our way to where we were about to have THE COOLEST MINI TRAIN RIDE EVER!!!!!

With Christmas music playing in the background, we wandered through the forest- all lit up, and made our way to the ultimate toy train. We waited in line, and boarded our train (17 of us in total, sitting single file, and ALL ADULTS!! Hahaha- I think we were excited enough that we all looked like a bunch of kids!!

Here's one of Jeremy and I. Can you tell we're feeling just a bit nutty?!!
And here's one looking backwards on our train:
These are 2 that Natasha took during our train ride. Aren't they awesome?!
And last but not least, here's a bike on our way back to the car:

Christmas morning was nice and relaxing. We all enjoyed some good laughs while opening up gifts.
I had 2 stockings!!
(you also can't miss the hot pink, polar bear pj's...... a Christmas eve surprise from Jeremy!!!)
Jeremy got some sexy new sweat pants from Roots. This picture makes me laugh SO HARD!!! Especially with his kick ass (err, karate donkey) t-shirt..... Here's one of me opening a beautiful scarf from Tamara.
And here is perhaps one of the most important gifts Jeremy got. Because sometimes you just don't know what is really dangerous.........
It's filled with tons of valuable lessons like:
and,
The rest of our day was filled with family, food and fun, as was most of our time in Winnipeg. We laughed, we played (Pictionary, bingo, scattergories, and cribbage). We rode trains and walked in the park. And we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our Christmas in Winnipeg.

The End.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Epic Christmas Adventures Part 1, Toronto

When you live in an apartment the size of a garage, you have to learn to improvise. We (or more accurately, I) desperately wanted a Christmas tree this year- which obviously brings up the issue of space- of which we have very limited quantities. Desperate times require desperate measures, and to have a Christmas tree was of dire importance. So, with 5 minutes and a pack of markers, our first Christmas tree was created!

The only thing that would make this tree complete was presents- which arrived the same day! Packed not in a red, velvet bag, but instead in a gorgeous red suitcase, our presents arrived safe and sound from Calgary. I dove in, and discovered japanese mandarins and a delicious fruit cake packed in with care. YUM! All that was left was to put the gifts under our fantastic new tree. Luckily we only had to wait a few days before we were able to open all of the presents!!


I spent the day cleaning and shopping for a strand of lights. Do you know how hard it was to find Christmas lights a few days before Christmas?! I searched everywhere, and finally found a few packs at the Shoppers Drug Mart 2 minutes from our place!! A strand of fun snowflake lights lit up the couch, and some coloured bulbs provided cheery colour.





The Christmas lights were lit and the
stockings were filled and 'hung'. Now all we had to wait for was the highly anticipated phone call from Calgary!




The phone finally rang and Christmas in Toronto could officially begin. Jeremy and I, along with our good friend Christopher, all took turns talking with my Mom, Dad, Sister and her boyfriend, while we opened up the gifts!!

As you can already tell, much fun and laughter occurred during the course of our long-distance Christmas phone call extravaganza. If you have to spend Christmas away from your family, this is the way to do it!!!
After our long and wonderful conversation, Christmas wishes, and long distance kisses and hugs, it was time to say "Good-bye". I didn't want to.... I couldn't hang up.... I missed my family so much! It was so hard to let them go! I put the phone down on the receiver and could feel the emptiness and sadness closing in.... Something had to be done- and quick!!! The fantastic atmosphere couldn't turn sad now!!! There was only one thing that could save the evening......



CHRISTMAS FASHION SHOW!!!!!

Jeremy modeling his new shirt and tie from my parents
And now holding up my present to him- "Hotter than I should be" of which the $$ spent on it goes toward the WWF campaign for climate change!
saveourclimate.ca








A new fun scarf from my Mom and Dad










My favourite new comfy shirt and new grey sweat pants from Lululemon....

Thank You!!!





Jeremy playing with his new Henckel knife set
Thank you Santa!!!

Thank goodness that Jeremy gets the gift of 'Danger Knowledge' in Winnipeg!!
With a stylish hat and mitt combo like this, there's only one place to go.....


WINNIPEG


Read about our adventures in Winnipeg....
coming soon

Sunday, December 17, 2006

A nice thought

As I was going to teach the other day, I noticed a sign with a message so nice that I wanted to share it with all of you as well.

The Past is behind us,
The Future is yet to come,
Today is a gift-
And that is why it is called the Present.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Mandarin Orange Memories

They're sweet, round, juicy, the perfect size and easy to peel. They are often found in the bottom of a Christmas stocking, tenderly packed in with the hope for some vitamins to be consumed along with all of the chocolate!! They are great for packed lunches (again, the easy to peel factor) and are a constant source of amusement for children of all ages who enjoy the challenge of peeling it off in one whole piece, or making various fun shapes- my personal favourite being the elephant!

The fancy box they arrive in herald the beginning of a new holiday season. It also reminds us that there are limited weekends left until fancy boxes of another type are due to be carefully wrapped and precisely placed under a glimmering Christmas tree. They are the perfect evening snack, delicately unwrapped and enjoyed in almost silence- serenaded only by the sounds of the Christmas tree lights blinking on and off. Under the perfect circumstances you can even hear the unmistakable sounds of ornaments clinking together announcing that someone (or something!!) is investigating certain shiny packages.

Sugary sweet, they're the obvious solution for an early morning snack while you wait for everyone to FINALLY wake up so the chaos of stockings and presents can begin. They're equally as fabulous when enjoyed as a mid-afternoon chocolate crash fix. Perhaps one of the best things about them is how easy it is to peel all of that icky white stuff off of them!!

Ah, the mandarin orange. So decadent, because really, how many other fruits are there that you get to unwrap before you even get to the peeling parts?







- a brief aside- Does anyone know if japanese mandarins are available anywhere in Toronto?? All I can ever find are the chinese mandarins, or clementines. Also- isn't it funny how peel and unpeel are both used to describe the same action??

Time for some vitamin c. and sleep.

Friday, December 01, 2006

It's raining, it's pouring, I wish that it was snowing

Well, December 1st and it is POURING rain outside. This weather is not condusive to grocery shopping, doing laundry (I have to go outside) or any other task that I really actually need to do. What it is good for is blogging, knitting, t.v. vegging, sleeping in until noon, and eating too many cookies. I would add practicing to my list, but I have quite the cold right now, so I am procrastinating practicing as well. Other things I could be doing inside include dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and dusting. But frankly, if I'm not practicing, those things probably aren't going to get done either!!!

Also, being the Alberta girl that I am, I have to say that December is for SNOW. NOT rain. I have new winter boots, that are waterproof, but I think snow waterproof and rain waterproof are two very different things, so I'm a bit nervous to wear them out in the pouring rain. I saw a fancy pair of rubber boots the other day- a nice charcoal grey on the foot part, with some brown/grey tweed material up the leg. Very nice. I never thought I would be considering investing in a pair of rubber boots in December.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Jeremy's Christmas List

Certain people are also wondering what to get Jeremy for Christmas.....

Here is his Christmas List!

Cd's
  • Metallica (everyone needs a little Metallica)
  • Daniel in the Lion's Den (with/by) Daniel Perantoni (this is a tuba CD)
  • Mingus albums (jazz) except Ah Um and Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (we already have those ones) (also, no compilations)
  • Curtis Mayfield
Sweat pants from Roots (probably a size large, grey, and either with or without elastic at the bottom is fine).

Dress Shirts (The brand ENRO at Sears fits great. Size LT 16L - 16 1/2 L)

Fun socks (He really likes Michael Kors socks, which you can often find at Winners)

Sunday, November 26, 2006

My Christmas List

There are a few people out there who might need some ideas for Christmas presents....

Here's a short list!

Books:

One Hundred Views of Edo, by Hiroshige (at Chapters)

Books by Alexander McCall Smith:
Love Over Scotland
Blue Shoes and Happiness
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

Other ideas:

knee high argyle socks
gel pens

magazine subscription to Domino Magazine (dominomag.com)

29 sleeps to go.....

Friday, November 24, 2006

The perfect reason for a new pair of shoes...

I'm going to be a bridesmaid!
Time to start looking for the perfect pair of heels.......

YAY!!

More to come soon! I'm off to play a concert now!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

The life of a Working Musician

Is busy, busy, busy. Very busy. Incredibly busy. Fun, always entertaining, hilarious, touching, and unbelievably rewarding are also words to describe it. Perks include being able to sleep in on a weekday, setting your own schedule (and vacation time!), and doing what you love and getting paid for it. Things that aren't so great are not being able to sleep in on Saturday's, vacation time- really- if you're a musician do you really have the luxury of "vacation time"??!!, and the feeling that you need to take on everything you get called for, because if you don't take it, someone else will!

Things here are pretty great.

I have a full day teaching at the studio on Saturday's, and then a private student coming to our place late Saturday afternoon. I wasn't sure about teaching at a studio....... But I have to say that I am really enjoying it. You can check out the studio and all of the great people I work with here. My students are all wonderful. There's not one that I am counting the time until the lesson is over with. That's amazing. I have a pretty gifted student- I thought he was in grade 12- maybe grade 11, but found out today that he is only in grade 10- Woohoo!! 2 more years to mold him into an amazing player.

My one private student that I wasn't sure about has blossomed into an excited, eager, interested student and all I have to say about that is YAY!!!

It's been a while since I last posted- so here's the Cole's notes edition of what's been happening at the coach house besides teaching, eating, cleaning and sleeping.

Went to my first Raptors game. Jeremy scored free tickets. They sucked. (The Raptors not the tickets!!) I'm not sure if that's why I wasn't really interested, or if I actually don't really care for basketball. We saw Borat last weekend- wow. It is really over the top. Anyone else have opinions??

I've had a few gigs- a bat mitzvah last night, and tomorrow I'm playing background music for an art show with a guitarist. I've been rehearsing with TWO for our concert next Monday, and this week I'll be rehearsing with the RCO and playing a concert with them on Friday night.

We've been out with a few friends for dinner, had some over for dinner and brunch, and been treated to a few great meals. There's hockey on the go for tonight, (on the t.v, not at the game) and finally a sleep in tomorrow.

My sister rescued 2 new cats- and they are SO CUTE- although I haven't seen any new pictures...... Hint, hint........

And that's about it!! It seemed like there was more to write about, and there probably is. Maybe next time!!

Monday, October 30, 2006

Clouseau, the Velveteen Rabbit, and an eat in kitchen

I am a lucky woman. Yesterday Jeremy decided that it would be nice for me to have some down time and go shopping, while he cleaned the house. I found some crazy deals at Club Monaco- t-shirts for $5 kind of great deals!! Feeling great about the fantastic purchases, I came home to find our kitchen furniture totally rearranged!! Our centre island is now serving as a room divider, and we now have an "eat in" kitchen! I love it!
Last night we went for dinner at our friends house, and on our way home decided to take some pictures of some graffiti we had noticed a few weeks ago:


When we first saw this one, it was one complete shadow portrait (minus the car dragging a gangsta). I think it is of the Velveteen Rabbit...... What do you think?

Saturday, October 28, 2006

students, students, students

Thank goodness for the time change. I think that this is one of my favourite nights of the year. Last year we were in the process of moving into our little coach house, and we completely forgot about the time change, until we were on our way to pick up the u-haul. However, tonight the time change is part of the plans, and we plan to savour every second of the extra hour. Yay sleep!!

And sleep is totally needed. I got 2 calls this weekend for new students, so I am now up to 25 students!! 7 at SCS, 8 at the studio on Saturday's, and 10 private students. Sixteen of them are half an hour lessons, one is a 45 minute lesson (although he might move up to an hour after Christmas) and 8 of them are full hour lessons, and just one of those hour students are at the studio. It's good. It's busy, but I find teaching to be incredibly rewarding. And it is always challenging- plus you never know what kinds of stories the little kids are going to tell you!!! So far this year, I've learned about 25 different pet names, know more kids favourite foods than I ever thought I would, and am constantly hearing about various adventures- from trips to foreign places to school field trips. My time teaching is always interesting!!! Another thing I am enjoying this year is that I now have a few advanced students- working on Grade 8 RCM or above. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to teach MUSIC. As much as I totally love teaching the cute little beginners, it has been fantastic to have a variety of levels and repertoire to work on.

So, I feel like I'm officially making it as a musician. I am playing gigs, doing some sub work, and teaching up a storm. It's been over a year and a half since I had a non-music job, and I have to say it feels pretty good to start to be able to make ends meet doing something I love. Now if only we had a house (with a garden), with a separate music studio so Jeremy didn't have to hide out somewhere while I'm teaching........ well, a girl can dream can't she??!!

one of the perks of teaching...

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Pictures* from People's

Ahh, you have to love People's. It's kind of hard to see, but they are actually waving at us (from the window on the right) for this picture! Also- the caution taping is Halloween decoration, just incase you were wondering!!

Our friends Melissa and Michael, and a semi view of the kitchen (to the right), and the bar seating (behind).

Jeremy and I, totally full. I like this picture, because it's hard to determine just exactly what Jeremy is thinking!! Is he full and content? Is he looking wistfully at the Jukebox wishing we'd brought some change? Or is he enjoying the feel of the cashmere sweater he bought me for my birthday??

*Pictures courtesy of my new and amazing digital camera!! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Bowling, Boxes and Brunch!

I had a great birthday weekend. Saturday night was so fun- bowling was a riot!! The first ball I threw was a strike, and it stayed pretty similar until my arm got tired toward the end of the 2nd game. Who would have thought?!! I won the first game, and Jeremy won the 2nd game. After 2 hours of glow in the dark, black lighting and disco lighting we headed out to the pub by our place, where we celebrated with a few drinks, and some fun conversation.

We slept in, and then after presents and phone calls, we headed out to our old neighbourhood and had brunch at the best greasy spoon in Toronto- People's. Melissa stayed with us for the weekend, which was such a nice surprise and it was lovely to have her as our guest and to have brunch with her and Michael.

A luxurious nap in the afternoon was followed by a rehearsal last night with the Toronto Wind Orchestra, and I was again spoiled by my friend Laura who surprised me with cake (complete with flaming candles) and a bottle of scotch.

It was my best birthday since I moved to Toronto, and I would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and cards and wishes. I love you and miss you!!

Friday, October 20, 2006

I like packages

For (I think) the first time since Jeremy and I moved into our coachhouse, we got packages delivered to our door!! In the past I have had to trek to the not so close post office to pick up parcels and such- but not today!! And thank goodness- because it is raining and grey outside.

So now I am faced with a predicament...... do I go crazy and tear with excitment into my packages right now? Or do I wait until Sunday...... crazy tearing or patience, crazy tearing..... Personally, I'm all for the craziness...... but maybe I should wait until my actual Birthday! 2 days to go.

It's been a busy month. I am doing a ton of teaching, and loving every minute. My students are a varied range of ages and levels- so it is always interesting and challenging. I just started teaching a 12 year old boy this week, (at his house- can you say PETS galore!! They have 2 dogs, and 4 cats!) and tomorrow I have 3 new students starting at the studio. So I'm up to 22 students now.

I had my shellfish allergy test a couple weeks ago- and was disappointed to find out that I am not a mutant freak, and am still severly allergic to shellfish. Boo. No busting out to Red Lobster in celebration- instead Jeremy got to toss the tempting shrimp ring in the trash. Believe me, there were tears shed.

There are exciting plans for my Birthday weekend!! For the past 2 years, I've had gigs for pretty much the entire day and evening, but this weekend I am free!! Tomorrow night we are going 10 pin glow bowling, which should be a riot. I'll bring the camera. Before that we're heading over to our great friends Matt and Michelle's to have pre-bowling dinner and drinks. After bowling we'll hang out with friends at the local pub. And then Sunday is free for breakfast and presents. And to top it off, I just found out last night that my friend Melissa is in town for the weekend, and will be staying with us!! YAY!

Time to tidy up and then get some groceries!! Must resist the tempation of the temptingly tempting packages........

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Girl vs Treadmill

Okay- I know I'm supposed to be cleaning...... but I was just taking a quick break, browsing a few blogs- and found this. It gets funnier the more you watch it. I love the sounds..... I promise to write a real post soon......

Friday, October 06, 2006

maybe an excitingly exciting new hobby......

For the past few days I have been working on a new update for my teaching blog. I wanted to add something new that my students could learn about, that was both fun and flute related. Maybe some Thanksgiving flute trivia? Well, surprise, surprise, there is not an abundant amount of fun Thanksgiving flute trivia floating around out there. This got me thinking. "What could I post about, that I find interesting, that most students might find neat, that they don't know about already?"

Enter my dizi- or chinese flute!! With a few fun sound samples and pictures, there's a new bit of trivia over there that you might want to check out. I'll post the answers in a few days. To check out Fun Flute Trivia #1, click here!

The most exciting thing about this for me is how EXCITED I find myself getting when I listen to this instrument!! I love the quality of the sound. So...... I'm thinking about taking some lessons, since the Conservatory now has Traditional Chinese Instrument classes!! Click here to see their web page. It's just a thought right now, albeit a very tempting and exciting thought!!!

Friday, September 29, 2006

one of my favourite things

I love autumn. It is one of my favourite times of the year. I love so many things about it. The leaves changing colour especially out here in Ontario!! It is so RED! I love the crisp air, cardigans, being able to wear my mukluks again, and the way the floors start to creak early in the cold mornings. I love watching the steam from my tea or coffee while wrapped in a blanket, and I love seeing the first signs of Halloween- (my favourite Holiday other than Christmas!!). I love eating the fresh squash and baking things with pumpkin, and eating warmer heartier meals like stew, soups, and curries. Of course I get excited because my Birthday is in October..... But I also get excited at the thought of wearing toques and mittens and scarves! Today I'd like to share one of my newest favourite things about fall (I just discovered them in the past 3 years!) with you.

Chinese Lanterns!!
Enjoy!

Monday, September 25, 2006

he's not so eeency weency.....

But he does have only seven legs!! We're thinking about keeping him and naming him 'Lucky'.... or maybe 'lil' ocho'....


the eency weency spider climbed up the water spout

Okay. So, I don't really like spiders. I'm not the type who screams and runs away when I see one, I can manage to kill them if I have to (re: if Jeremy is not around) and sometimes I actually let them be or even set them free. It really depends on 1. my mood, and 2. how creepy and big the spider actually is.

So, it's obviously Fall now. Cooler nights and days. The perfect time of year for bugs wanting to come into your house to avoid freezing. Except the HUGEST spider I've seen wasn't in the house (thank goodness- HUGE sigh of relief here). I opened the door to our laundry room (just below the apartment) and thank goodness I was carrying the laundry basket. Otherwise I would have walked into the hugest mass of spider web EVER. Luckily the laundry basket managed to deflect most of the icky sticky web.

Eeewww, I thought. Now.... I had to ask- where is the spider that could create such a tangly, thick web? Answer- on the door- just beside the doorknob on the inside. Crap. This is a freaking big spider. I saw a big (wolf?) spider the other night crawling up the driveway- and even stopped to watch him for a while, so huge and grey and fascinating. But this spider, that I am now face to face with, is even bigger than the (wolf?) spider. And it is not cute in any way. It was fascinating to watch him collect up his demolished web. But I really didn't want to try to move him, or risk further disturbing him by moving my bike out of the way to get to the laundry. So, I continued to watch him. I ran up to get the camera- (which is still out of batteries- CRAP!!) but I managed to (maybe) squeak in one picture.

You know that part of the door that comes out the side and you can push it in an out, and it connects into the wall when the door is shut? (what is that part called?) Anyways- our little spider friend could WALK OVER IT- and have all of his legs around it, and his body on top of it. Spindly spider legs, and a MASSIVE 2 section body. It was kind of pretty in a strange way- brownish gold, and a silverish and cream pattern up it's back.

It was definitely too big to kill (I have some kind of strange respect for something that has lived long enough to grow that freakishly big). And too big to attempt to move. So, laundry will have to wait, and hopefully the spider will pick a different area of the garage to build a new web, so I don't destroy it with the laundry basket again tomorrow. Although I will definitely be opening the door carefully just incase..........

Thursday, September 21, 2006

sweaty betty's and the carnival car woman

It has been a few busy weeks here at the coach house!! I am still in the process of trying to organize my last few students, which will mean that I am teaching 21 students (so far!) this year. That is between my private teaching on Tuesday, the private school, and the studio I teach at on Saturdays. I still have room for a few more, so if anyone knows someone who wants to take some flute lessons...... let me know!!!

I booked the venue for our year end recital. We are doing it at a retirement home, which has an AMAZING recital hall!!! Cushy theatre seating, a raised hardwood stage, and a grand piano. It should be a great experience! Unfortunately they were all booked for December, so I still need to find a venue for my student's Christmas recital. Any ideas? I might try to do it at the private school I teach at- since they are just finishing building a new recital hall.....

The past few weeks have also been socially busy for Jeremy and I. We've had a few games of poker, seen our friend off to Florida at a pub, and had an excellent dinner at our good friends Matt and Michelle's. But the most interesting story is probably about our time at (and after) a place called Sweaty Betty's.

We met up with our friend Liza, and some other musicians at an interesting bar called, you guessed it, Sweaty Betty's. We had a great time, and I especially enjoyed watching the pretty diverse crowd of people. We were pretty tired, and didn't want to stay too long, so we decided at about 1 that we should go catch the streetcar home. While we were waiting for the street car we experienced the most hilarious thing!!!

This woman pulls up to the red light in her green mini-van. Her music is blasting. Now, this is not your typical music blaster type of person. This woman must have been in her late 50's or 60's. She was wearing a large floral print polyester top, which I personally hope was actually a Muu-muu. The windows of her van were rolled down in true music blaring fashion, but instead of blasting rap, hip-hop, metal, opera, oldies, or classical, she was blasting CARNIVAL MUSIC. Like the kind you hear playing while you are riding the merry-go-round. Jeremy and I looked at eachother in disbelief, and then burst out laughing once she had driven away. Too funny.

Grocery shopping awaits....... if only I had a green mini-van......

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Toronto to 1950's Baltimore in 5 minutes


Finally some time for an update!!! It has been a few very busy weeks, teaching and assisting at camps, and I am very glad to be back home, and able to unpack my suitcase without packing it up again right away. The laundry I'll be doing later today gets to get put away- in the drawers and closet instead of back in a suitcase! Although I had a great time travelling and teaching, it is nice to feel settled again.

Yesterday was my first day back from camp, and we had a great day!!! My close friend Chris stayed with us, and we had a relaxing morning, with a delicious breakfast and real, non-camp, coffee. mmmmmm. Feeling refreshed, we spent the afternoon wandering around a film set close to our house. They are going to be filming 'Hairspray' and the whole street has been converted back to the 50's, complete with 50's street lights, parking meters, storefronts, signs, and cars. Even the gas station has been restored!!

Here are a few pics from our excursion: