Better late than never..?

Hey, interwebs,

Sorry to leave you hanging there. I've been busy with the same ol' stuff, and I dont' feel much like talking right now. I spent my evening at the radio station, and last night I was over to a friend's place for dinner, so I'm pretty talked out.

I'll make up for it soon, I promise. I'll have x-rays up and a debriefing of my appointments with my chiropractor.

Thrilling, I know.

Stay tuned.

Brr..

It's cold here. So freakin' cold.

Yeah, yeah, there have been other days when it's been -15C (5F. Yes, single digits, Americans.), but today, I'm really feeling it. I holed up in bed for most of the day with the puppy and my schoolbooks, even after taking my energy-boosting morning meds. I had a lovely breakfast with my partner after church, but I still  haven't technically gotten out of my pyjamas. I put other layers on underneath them, but, honestly, my sweatpants are far warmer than any of my jeans or cords. That's the story that I'm sticking to, anyway.

I ventured out into the cold for my radio broadcast this evening, but I didn't bring the dog. I usually bring the pup since she loves the other people at the station on Sundays, and she'd much rather be with me than alone at home. I couldn't bear to bring the mini dachshund out with me in -15C though. It just wasn't fair - even with a sweater, jacket, and boots on the poor little thing. Also, it would have taken us 40 minutes to walk to the station, rather than the 15 that it took me. That wouldn't have been pleasant in the least.

So, the show was successful, and I'm currently ripping some Canadian indie albums for use in future shows that I'm looking forward to.

I'm also looking forward to getting home and crawling back into bed with the tiny hound and three mugs of hot chocolate. Oh, yes.

A perfect Saturday.

I had an absolutely perfect day.

Well, sure, that isn't accurate. If pressed, I could find a few things to change or maybe even furrow my brow at. But, you see, there were hardly many of these things to change, and usually my days feel so cluttered with them that it's difficult to tell where one awful thing ends and another begins. Even the good things feel painful, usually.

But.. not today.

It was standard Sunday stuff with the partner, except we moved our Sunday to Saturday. Our Sundays will once again be filled with broadcasts in various types of sanctuaries, so we moved our one day free of obligations to Saturday. Hurrah!

I will not bore you with too many details, internetland, as, well, you will be bored. And, really, we all know how the dialogue will progress.

Oh, he let you sleep in and then made you breakfast in bed, eh? How nice. you might say.

Well.. not in bed, because that would be messy, but.. yes. I might reply.

And I suppose you talked rosily of the future.

Uh.. kinda. We joked about how little money I shell out for the lovely two-bedroom all-inclusive (with laundry!) apartment in a lovely century home in our current town, and how that amount would get us a one-bedroom without utilities in the shiftiest parts of Vancouver or Toronto..

You worked together on chores and the time went by quickly.


Yeah, but we also watched a fantastic movie about George III, read novels, worked on a crossword, dined out, and were in bed by 10 pm.


BORING.


So we won't do that at all. Instead, I will plug my radio show. It's on from 6pm-7pm EST in Canada. You can listen online and send me messages at the station, which is Trent Radio 92.7 CFFF in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

I'll be playing only original songs by independent Canadian songwriters and musicians. This week the theme will be transportation, so tune in and hear all about planes, trains, and automo.. biles? That doesn't sound right. I'll research that before Sunday's show. I promise.

So, sleep well, readers, spammers, and trollers. I hope you had as lovely a day as I did. It was absolutely splendid.

"Creative" Goals*

Since all of the cool kids are doing it, I'm going to post my creative goals for this year:

1. Sew two skirts from scratch
2. Knit six pairs of sock
3. Knit a complete sweater-vest
4. Make a case for my phone
5.  Get back into the studio
6. Use my DLSR again

Now, I feel some exposition is needed. But that's another post.



Ha! Kidding. But only kinda, 'cause I really would rather be assembling radio show playlists. Ooh!

    7. Make radio playlists without repeating any songs for the entire year 

Back to the exposition.

1. Sew two skirts from scratch

I have the pattern for a basic a-line skirt of varying lengths and I have fabric for the first one all ready to go. I'd like to  make that skirt, plus another skirt out of lighter fabric for the summer. If I hate it, then it won't be like I have to make a whole bunch of 'em, but it also is enough that I'm able to adapt my technique for the second skirt to see what I've learned. Plus, I'll get two skirts out of it. Any more than that, and I'll have to toss some clothes I already have. I am a pack-rat when it comes to clothing, so I really need to be stringent regarding the amount of clothes I accumulate, handmade or otherwise.

2. Knit six pairs of sock

That'll give me a chance to knit a buncha socks from the new sock book my ma got from her ma for Christmas. Do I know the title, author, or publisher of it? No. I do not. I am a lazy librarian and don't want to go into the other room to find the book. I shall tell you in a future post when I'm further on in my sock-knitting frenzy. Pinky swear. I also don't want to commit to knitting a pair of socks a month, since I might not have time, what with my final term of my honours degree and a full course load and my insanity disability becoming no easier to manage. But.. that, too, is another post. Ooh - I already have one sock neeearly completed. I just have to do the toe shaping. It's going to be a Christmas stocking for the pup, since I don't have enough wool to knit a matching pair. I adore my prototype sock, though. I am smitten with socks.

3. Knit a complete sweater-vest

Yes, I said sweater-vest because I panic when I think of kitting sleeves that fit nicely and attaching them to the body and that's so much wool and such a commitment and arrrrghFDSAFDA. So yeah. My brain breaks when I think of sleeves. But I do want to knit a full garment. Yep.

4. Make a case for my phone

This goal probably should be the first one I finish, as my touch-screened phone reeeally needs some comfy clothes to protect it from the elements (and the hazards contained in my purse).

5. Get back into the studio

Even if it's just a live rehearsal session or creative session in Studio B, that's cool. I just have to get back to it in some capacity while I have cheap access to a studio and some awesome friends to help me out with it. Oh. Back? you ask. Um.. well.. I dabbled in the indie roots scene in the Golden Horseshoe during my youth, and while I can say honestly that I do not miss the business side one iota, I do miss the creative side. I have to learn to be selfish about my music for awhile, if that's what it takes to enjoy it again. Then maybe you'll get to enjoy it too, if I'm up to sharing. Yes.

6. Use my DLSR again

Same sorta deal. Only, you know, I never won any awards for my photography like I did for songwriting. But whatever. There's a thriving photography and arts scene in my town city, and I should take advantage of that. By that, I mean make friends who will say I really like the lighting in this photo or The composition is perfect or even This is a trite angle, loser. Get lost. Whatever. I want to learn and use the immensely generous gift that my family gave me a few years back. They believe in me, so I should learn to believe in myself too. Yes.

And I guess that's the point of all of these goals. Set achievable goals. Make time to work towards them. Brag when I can cross something off my list. Or whatever.

Oh, and 7.  Make radio playlists without repeating any songs for the entire year.

Other programmers, and even my own operator, at Trent Radio have wondered why I am stubborn about certain selections or why I don't include super-obvious choices for themed shows. Usually, it's because I've already used that song for another show and I don't want to repeat it, or because I'm saving it for an upcoming show. I have some goals for myself for my show, some of which are based on my original proposal, and others that are just personal goals. This is one of the personal ones. I think there's enough kickass indie Canadian music out there that I shouldn't have to repeat any songs. It shouldn't be a show about whatever is on my mp3 player that week, so I carefully plan theme shows. Perhaps too carefully. That is up for debate (every. single. week. ARGH.) but this is a personal programming goal that I'd like to meet. Yes. I'll remind you to listen to the shows when the new season starts up again, and you may be able to hear if I stick to this goal or not.

Aaaand now it's time to let the pooch out and then time to try to sleep. It's been tiresome, this sleeping thing, and that is an unacceptable irony.


*These goals may or may not be creative in terms of rarity or uniqueness, but are definitely goals concerning creative energies.

sad songs and lullabies are singing the world goodnight sleep tight, little world

Well, readers, thanks so much for voting on a new design! I'll work on the design this week, and on Sunday, I'll post the new design, including the results of the lucky duck who gets either a homemade reward or a delicious pint. Or a latte, or whatever they like. Yep.

I spent Friday in a hell of a state due to my very first colloquium presentation. A colloquium is basically an academic conference; people speak on a topic that they've researched and will turn into a scholarly article for (hopefully!) publication in a journal or a book. I participated in the colloquium as part of a grad course I've been taking. I was one of the few undergrad students in the class, and I also presented my paper first. Eek. I am not one for public speaking, and I much prefer to do my conversing all Wizard-of-Oz style from behind a screen. Prescription pharmaceuticals were employed. I did not cry, or faint, or throw up, or ingest intoxicants, so I consider it a roaring success.

I'm still recovering from that ordeal, which seems to have taken more out of me than I expected it to. I find exhibiting emotions or any expression, save for slight annoyance, to be quite tiring, for reasons that we shall discuss once we know each other a bit better. Therefore, the colloquium stress, performance, and the celebrations afterward thoroughly exhausted me, and I think I'll have to wait until Monday to tell you all about my sewing adventures since tote bag version 1.0. Adventures were had, I assure you.

Oh - and my radio show  is on tomorrow night, Sunday, from 6pm-7pm. It's called It's Not the End of the World (Yet) and features entirely Canadian independent (usually) original music. Tomorrow's theme is winter holiday stuffs, so there might be a few covers of holiday songs. I usually steer away from covers unless the song is really fantastic, and Sunday's show will be no exception. It'll also be my last show before the winter break, so please tune in. Trent Radio 92.7 CFFF FM in Peterborough. The transmitter is broadcasting with only 15 watts right now, though, so please listen online if you can - it'll likely be a better broadcast.

Sleep well, readers, and I hope you're staying warm on this chilly night.