Moments D721: Penguins, Words, butterflies and believing

Tonight Arizona and I went to see Christina Perri at the Danforth Music Hall.  In a word:  WOW.  

Christina had BIRDY open the show.  I've never heard of this beautiful songstress before.  Incredible.  I'll definitely be hunting down some of her songs tomorrow.  Tonight, I want to write about the soul inspiring Christina Perri.  She brought me to tears.  Not once, not twice, but thrice in the near 2 hours she was on stage.

What an amazing big voice.  What an incredible presence you could feel her pain in the words she belted out.  You could feel the joy and the love and the fear.  It was a beautiful set of songs and in just under a week of having her latest album "Head or Heart", I've already fallen in love with a couple of her new songs.

The first song that brought me to tears was her new song "The Words".  It's a song about new love about being raw, and real, and going deeper.  Why the tears?  I remember that moment.  That moment where I realized I was deep, deep in love.  It was raw, and real, and scary.  "The scariest part is letting go."   So very true.  Letting go, trusting.  Believing.  Believing you deserve love.  Believing you can give love.  Trusting that this time, this time you won't fail at the rest of the puzzle because as beautiful as love can be, it's only a piece of the bigger puzzle of a healthy, functioning relationship.  And it's scary to let go and dive in.

Near the end of the concert, Christina sang "I believe",  also from her new album.  Again, the tears came, for who hasn't felt the pain of losing themselves?  I know I have.  A few times.  (Um, you did read the paragraph preceding this one....right?)   She dedicated this song to the audience.  Noted that there were surely those of us in the crowd that may not have been having the best of days, or weeks, that she was going to fill the room up with love and surround us with it.

Eerily familiar.  And I found myself taking a step back and really absorbing the energy of the crowd and sending out to BFF (she's sick!), Heini (for obvious reasons) and to EQ (because I love him!) - redirecting all that beautiful energy.  

The emotion of her words are raw, add in how passionately she plays the piano and voilà:  magic. A snippet of her lyrics:

‘Cause I have been where you are before
And I have felt the pain of losing who you are
And I have died so many times, but I am still alive

This is not the end of me, this is the beginning
(Hold on)
This is not the end of me, this is the beginning

And then she had the audience join in chorus.  Much like this live version on Youtube.  How incredibly powerful.  Arizona and I were in section A.  Our task was to sing "This is not the end of me, this is the beginning."  Very apropos given the journey I've had over the past two years.  The audience at the Danforth Music Hall great and much more into it than the video online.....we actually sang the band off the stage and kept it going for quite a few repeats.  It was such a beautiful moment....tears rolling down my face and all.

During the encore, she played one of my favourite songs from her first album.  "Penguin"  It's more a cute fun song about soul mates.  It's always choked me up.

It was a beautiful set of songs, performed by an extremely talented young lady.

Moments just feeling the music and lyrics.

Moments soaking in all that beautiful, loving energy and sharing it out again to those in need.

Moments D674: 30s Dance Party & Respect

Today I had an interesting lunch with a work colleague that I very much respect.  He's got 23 years on me which means he has a lot of experience to offer.  When he shares, I listen.

While our work lunch started with our typical ramblings of the fate of the industry and next steps for both our companies, we found ourselves veering away from that by mid-lunch.  The focus became more about age differences as he was about to head out on a date this coming weekend with a woman younger than he, and I, of course, am with a man 11  years older than me.   Common ground for a very personal subject.

We discussed the challenges and interesting opportunities that an age difference can bring.  Everything from expanding one's perspective to misunderstandings based on those unique perspectives.  It was a fantastic conversation and when I arrived back into the office, it was followed up with another brief moment of age differences.

This song came on the radio and Chica came walking into the office.  Fourteen years my younger, she suddenly broke out into a dance.  In the middle of the office.  Rocking away.  It was a 30s dance party.  It brought a smile and a laugh to everyone in the office.  A perfect breather after a couple of stressful days.

And that's when it all snapped into place.  Respect.  It's ageless.  It can show up in the form of a deep philosophical discussion, or it can show up in a moment of living life large.

Moments enjoying differences of ages.

Moments appreciating that respect can be ageless.

Moments D654: Bookend

This evening EQ and I went to our first concert together and what an incredible first concert it was.  As everything we do, do don't start small.

We went to see Elton John. A musical legend. A proper knight, knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998 for his services to music and charitable services. And frankly a man who had great presence on stage without all the crazy costumes he's known for.

Elton John may be a whole lot more tame at 66 than he was at 29, but his talent and passion shone brightly for nearly 3 hours while he was on stage.  He even stopped to do autographs for those in the front row before his encore.  He was more gracious to his devoted fans than I've ever seen a performer be.  Elton John felt bigger than life and I now know, I really know, why he's a legend.

For me, it was a first.  I've never seen Elton John before in concert.  I've always loved some of his music, but I've not really followed him over the years.  My perspective:  A brilliant piano player, with incredibly fun music, married to a fellow Canadian David Furnish.  Yes.  Pretty limited.  I know.  As much as I love music, it's not something that I've invested a lot of time into.

On the flip side, EQ has a deep passion for music.  In many ways, EQ sees (feels?) music in nearly everything around him.  From the sound of my voice to the whisper of a snowfall and everything in between.  Music lives not only around him, but within him.

For EQ, this was the second viewing of Elton John in concert.  EQ's first concert was when he was but a pup.  At the ripe age of 14, EQ watched Elton John perform on his Goodbye Yellowbrick Road Tour.  As a teenager, the concert was, no doubt, awe inspiring to a young man.  This young man, filled with a passion for music, was himself on a path within the world of music.  For years he found deep satisfaction in the industry and music has offered him many extraordinary experiences.

Bookends.  That's what came to mind when I heard the story of Elton John being EQ's first big concert.  A bookend at the start of his musical career.   And then to realize that our first concert was to be Elton John.  Another bookend.  Another marker of a shift in perspective and a future of many extraordinary experiences.
A stretch?  Yes perhaps.  But I do like the serendipity and I'm going to enjoy the flush of excitement that comes with the dream of the extraordinary experiences to come for EQ & I.

Moments of firsts.

Moments of dreaming bigger.

Moments D609: Memories of a little girl

After a day of many adventures, the four of us headed to the Jazz bar to enjoy a set of  The Bart Walker Band before calling it a night.  First, before I share my moment of the day, I have to say that Bart and his crew were intense and sounded amazing.  Please do go and check out his smooth and gravelly bluesy sound!

Today's moment arrived while the four of us were sitting, feeling the music and enjoying a glass of wine.  A young father and his daughter came into the bar.  They sat in the third row from the stage, just in front of EQ, my parents & I.  If I had to guess, the daughter was likely 7 or 8 years old.  She was a petite thing and was quick to sit and curl her legs under her and lean into her father as they sat down.

Dad wrapped an arm around her curled up body and held her close.  The two of them swayed to the music Bart and his crew shared with us.  It was a special moment for me because it brought a flood of memories back to me.

Daddy's little girl.  Even at nearly 40, I'm still Daddy's little girl and I remember moments that he and I shared just like this when I was actually a little girl.

I was a lucky child that way.  My parents took me places that some parents wouldn't dare to bring children. (as this father did).  I suppose part of the reason they were confident enough to do that is because my brother and I were (mostly!) well behaved children.

And so, as I watched that father and daughter sit and watch the band, I couldn't help but to think back to 32 years ago and remember when my own father and I enjoying music together.  Sitting beside him on the piano bench as he played piano, singing along to tunes in the car, and even starting up chants and jingles while in a restaurant!  We were a silly fun young family.

And you know what?  We're still a silly fun family.  Just older now.

Moments enjoying music with family.

Moments remember enjoying music and family 32 years ago!

Moments D604: Music as a bridge

Today was filled with a few magical moments, from a long, LONG hot shower to melt away the last of yesterday's grime to learning about the "love bubble".  (And believe me, learning about the love bubble could be a blog post on its own!)  But today's moment comes the most special of moments that found me today.

Tonight EQ & I went to have dinner with Tree and her husband and my moment comes from an unexpected tender moment while we were visiting with them.  But before I share that moment, I want to take the time to share the naming of Tree's husband.  Over the time I've spent with him, more and more of his personality has shone through.  The people, the places, the reputation he has, all tie to the name that I found to best encompass his energy.  Baldr.  A Norse God representing beauty, innocence, peace, and rebirth. The brave, shining one.    It's perfect in my very biased opinion!

So, back to my moment with a little history to fill out the story.

Tree & Baldr have their 14 year old niece living with them. As with any big life change, there have been challenges along the way with their niece staying with them.  Fortunately, Tree & Baldr have been shining their light ever so brightly on their niece to help her find her own bright path in life and from what little I know of the bigger picture, I can't help but feel deep in my heart that they are making big steps forward with her.

As for their niece, I've met her on a couple of occasions now.  She's a bright, engaged and aware.  Truly an old soul in a 14 year old temple.  I shouldn't have been surprised at what happened just before dinner, but I was.  Pleasantly so.

The tender moment was inspired by a Pink Floyd concert t-shirt that Tree & Baldr's niece was wearing.  EQ immediately connected with her speaking the universal language of music.  Within seconds they were swapping music preferences and stories related to music.  This was no quick, light conversation.  It went on for some time.  I just sat and watched and enjoyed the energy exchange between the two of them.  Both were fully engaged and nearly oblivious to the rest of us mulling about the table.  I was mesmerized.

It was a beautiful moment.

And then our delightful homemade veggie curry dinner was ready, and the magical musical moment dissipated into good positive conversation amoungst the 5 of us.

Moments connecting with a younger generation through music.

Moments enjoying friends and their family.

Moments D562: No Foy

This evening EQ and I tried our best to get into a very intimate concert with Foy Vance.  Today's moment is inspired by this tale.

We were recently introduced to Foy's music by a friend of mine living in the UK and Foy's work has very much touched us, both as individuals and as a couple.

How incredible to find out, only a week ago, that Foy Vance was playing in Toronto while EQ was here.  We simply had to get tickets.  Of course, the very small venue at The Drake was sold out long ago.

I searched the online scalper sites.  I posted wanted ads online.  I reached out to my contacts to see if anyone could shake out a couple of tickets for us.  Silence.  We even had a contact who works at the Drake unable to get extra tickets for us.  So, we did what any sane couple in love with the music would do -we went down to The Drake and hoped that someone would be selling tickets at the door.

We decided to have dinner there.  Our server was incredible.  He laughed when we asked for a "dessert" of tickets for the show.  With such a small venue, the hotel and restaurant were not party to tickets.  Sadly, we were not so fortunate to find anyone selling as the show inched nearer and we even tried to bribe the guy at the door to let us in.   No luck!

BUT - all was not lost.  I realized on our drive home from the venue that EQ and I had enjoyed a really delightful (unexpected) dinner at the Drake.  I've never eaten there before, so it was a new experience for me too.  His company and conversation filled my soul.  I also realized that I was more than content to enjoy Foy Vance's album on the drive home and share more love and laughter between just the two of us on the drive back and for the rest of the evening. So, in the end, even though there was no live Foy for us tonight, EQ and I enjoyed the moment we found ourselves in.  Sometimes that's all that really matters.

Moments waiting in anticipation for something.

Moments realizing that slipped expectations can turn into other beautiful moments.

Moments D493: Graduation presents come alive

Today was the day my high school graduate niece and I have been waiting for!  Tonight was her graduation present come alive.   What better than a graduation CONCERT for a grad present from her (favourite?) aunt!  

On tap:  Rozzi Crane, Kelly Clarkson, and Maroon 5.  What an incredible concert and better yet, what an incredible evening!  Rozzi has an incredible soulful voice.   And, I'll publicly admit, I'm a Kelly Clarkson convert.   She had me when she walked out in a pretty girlie dress and BARE feet.   Not only that, she was amazing....very personable and interactive with the crowd.  And her voice?  Holy smokes.  Amazing. I had goosebumps a few times during her performance! Maroon  5 was also fantastic.   They were much more grounded and real than I expected them to be.   All in all, honestly, one of the best concerts I've been too all year!  The concert itself was almost worth the trouble I had getting the tickets.

The payback came because it was all about the evening with my niece.  Watching the beaming smile,  listening to her sing along to nearly every song.   So. Much. Fun.  Yes,  definitely worth the trouble getting the tickets.  

As we left the concert and walked through the CNE grounds, we stopped and picked up a couple of pieces of pizza and shared a drink.  What a beautiful night filled with song, dancing, and laughter.  It was a night that will always be a special moment in my heart.

Moments celebrating a milestone.  

Moments creating a memory for life.

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Moments D485: Beyond the Boundaries

Before I share my day's moment, I want to share an interesting coincidence (?) with you.  I find it interesting that today's blog is entry 555.  Interesting because it is a repeated number and because fives are all about being energetic, daring, social, and courageous.  That's pretty fitting because today's moment is finding courage - I stepped pretty far outside my boundaries today.

Digging a little deeper, when you adding the all the numbers together, it becomes a 6, a harmonious, loving, caring number.  Also pretty fitting given that the boundary pushed was for celebrating a birthday of a loved one.  A birthday age that, oddly, also adds up to a 6!  (The things we do to push beyond for those we love!!)

Now, this doesn't mean I believe in the numerological significance of 555, but it's hard to miss the connected dots!

So back to my moment.  Today's moment is one sharing a project that I've been working on for over a month.  It was a birthday present like none other that I've ever considered creating before.  Let me explain.

I love to sing.  That being said, I do not love to share my singing with the world.  Why?  Well, it's not my forte, and it makes me DAMN uncomfortable.  Ya ya, for those who know me, you know I've done some Karaoke with friends, in a room and I've played Rock Band in my home.   What you might not know is that, once upon a time, I have also stood in front of a small audience at my high school graduation and in front of some drunk university students at battle of the bands competition and sang a tune (or three) to them.  Very nerve wracking and uncomfortable.

And yet, for this project, for this unique birthday present, I decided to sing a couple of songs and record them.  The catch?  The receiver has worked in the music industry.  Done very well in the music industry. What the hell was I thinking?  Talk about amping up the worry-factor!  That being said, I knew, no matter what the quality (goodly or badly), the gift would be well received.  Even now, as I share this moment, I am surprised that I found the courage to go through with it, but I knew, deep down I knew just how meaningful this present would be.  That being said, being who I am, I still wanted perfection.

Laughable!  Not with the "equipment" I have, nor with and my "ability".  It simply wasn't going to happen. I did, however, pour a lot of love and energy into the two songs I sang, recorded and edited together. (Do I call these covers?  I suppose so, though it wasn't really like that, more like a karaoke rendition recorded.)  I knew they were heartfelt and meaningful songs.  The end result:  I knew that they were okay (maybe even a touch better than okay) and that the songs themselves would speak louder than any words or other gift that I could offer.

Regardless, when the time came to hit send, I was a nervous wreck!  And the horror of it?  I watched, via Skype as the songs were first played for the birthday boy.  (I was not expecting this, nor was I prepared for this!)  I must have passed through 10+ shades of red sitting there watching and listening.  And two words gave me confidence to watch and experience along with the birthday boy.  "Don't hide."

What an incredible moment it was to watch his face as he listened to the songs.  The emotions that crossed his beautiful face.  The sharing of "goosebumps and tears".  Success!  He felt the love and I pushed through my fear.  Brilliant!  A perfectly brilliant, high vibration moment.

Moments finding courage and pushing through.

Moments sharing love.

Moments D484: Convertible of Singing Kids

This morning as I put out my recycling and compost, I spied a very fun moment that made me smile and followed me through the day.  It reminds me that while we live in a world where the humdrum of life can pull us down, we have a choice to inject love and light into moments when and where we can.

As I was dropping off my refuse curbside, a convertible with a Dad and two very cute blond girls in the back seat slowed on the street to say hi to a contractor getting out of his truck.  Both of the girls were singing at the top of their lungs to tunes that Dad had blaring.  Huge smiles were upon the three arriving faces and the contractor quickly joined the ranks with a huge smile of his own.

Dad turned down the tunes as he said hello to the contractor.  The girls quickly followed suit in very bright, eager voices.  (If I had to guess, the contractor was their Uncle.)  They all had a couple of laughs and then Dad looked back at the girls and said that it was time to go because "...who's got to make money today?" And the girls chimed back, "...YOU do Daddy.  Time for work."  They all waved at that contractor and in a blink the tunes were blaring again and the girls were loudly singing along as the convertible drove off.

The scene brought a smile to me too.

And as I walked past the contractor I said to him, "...there is a happy bunch."  His reply, "Yes.  I love those kids.  Lots of fun."  And then we exchanged good day pleasantries and we went about our day.

Moments with strangers.

Moments realizing that we're not such strangers after all.

Moments D474: Mornings Dance Parties

Today is BFF's birthday.  We spent last night in, celebrating her special day early!  We ordered in TWO delicious pizzas (hello breakfast!), wine (white and a red we didn't touch), a sip (or three) of delightful high, HIGH shelf vodka and then onto the bourbon.  A few tears, many laughs and hugs later and before we knew it the clock rolled over to midnight.  BFF was serenaded promptly at the turn of the minute hand by both myself and EQ via Skype.  We crashed around 2am and we missed having our typical tipsy dance party as there were people sleeping already.  But that's just the back story.

This morning BFF was up and 'atter at 7am!  At first she told me to keep sleeping (I crashed on the couch) but she needed to make coffee (the special Hawaiian coffee!).  There was no way I was letting her get up on her own on her birthday!!  So I shook out the cobwebs from my brain, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up.

The early morning hours were much fun with BFF.  I watched as the texts, FB posts and IM's came in wishing her birthday love.  And before I knew it, we were doing what we do best....DANCE PARTY.  Just before 8 am in the morning, the stereo was turned up and her camping theme song played loud, loud, loud.   Yes!  We had our first dance party of her birthday day!   What a perfect way to start her birthday day!

BFF played DJ and we enjoyed a few songs in the early hours of the morning.  We ventured all over the genres.  It was a lot of fun!  We even revisited some ROOTS and LL Cool J.  We finished up the day with, of course, some BIG WRECK!

And one that you MUST MUST MUST SEE:  A brilliant cover of "Blurred Lines" with Roots, Jimmy Fallon & Robin Thicke.  ENJOY.  (see if you can find the banana!)

Moments setting up a brilliant birthday day!

Moments having a dance party with your BFF.

Moments D466: Girls Night Out

Running on a mere 3.5 hours of sleep and emotionally drained, I very nearly bailed on my Friday.  Part of me wanted to just pull the covers over my head and stay in bed all day.

I refused to succumb!  I dragged my tired butt out of bed, drank a boatload of coffee, had an incredibly productive and fun day at work (we had a Mexican potluck lunch!) and then I freshened up and went out with some fabulous girls from work.

We went bar hopping on Queen West, from the Caddy (for dinner and an awesome bourbon caesar) to the Savoy for a couple of drinks, to the Church for a couple more drinks.  From there we walked up Ossignton and had a few laughs along the way.   From one wine bar with a bar full of gents shooing us away because they were closed for a private party (though the door was open!) to going into and then quickly out of another bar that had a strange hip hop vibe.  We finally settled at the Dakota Tavern where Melissa Payne was playing.

Though I was tired and a little less lively than normal, it was an incredibly fun night out. Sometimes blowing off some steam is exactly what is needed.

Moments pushing through exhaustion.

Moments celebrating new friendships and girl power.

Moments D460: New online adventures

Although today was a study day for my final exam, I still managed to have a little bit of fun today.  In fact, it was quite a bit of fun.  I had some online adventures today that were new and exciting.

As I was studying I listened to music, as I always do. I've been listening to 8trcks.com as they have some great playlists of piano and strings.  Piano covers of Hurt, Adele, Christina Perri.  And in my musical travels I found some amazing acapella singers as well. I really love acapella singers like Pentatonix and so this afternoon I listen to quite a few different ones there's a smattering of musical travels I had this afternoon.

Peter Hollens & his wife Evynne
Tyler Ward
Chester See

And then a couple of fun covers by Linsdey Stirling.  My Immortal & Halo.

What an incredible day for finding music.  What an incredible day for enjoying technology in general.  As I sit and reflect upon the day's M&M trail of new music, I think back to years ago when I'd buy myself a new CD with each pay cheque I received.  I collected many strange and some wonderful music over the years this way, but it's a lot more intensive and hit and miss.  Now, with a click of a webpage, within moments you know if you like an artist or not.  You can listen to that artist's favourite artists and so on.  What a wondrous time to be living in.

Technology for finding music, for staying in touch with friends and loved ones.  It's all very amazing.

Moments trying to focus on the task at hand.

Moments distracted by fantastic music and reaching out to friends.

Moments D430: Sweet smell of lillacs

Today was an incredibly productive day that ended in a concert with my BFF with the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty.  An incredible show, with a plastic guitar filled with white wine.  But this is not my special moment of the day, as amazing as it was.

No, today's moment is a simple one.  My partner in crime at work picked a bouquet of lilac flowers for one of the graphic designers on our team as it was her birthday.  The smell of lilacs filled our dark, crowded office.  Their sweetness brightened up the room considerable.  It was incredible how such a small bunch of flowers shifted the room.  When I left the office and then returned, I noticed that I was taking in a deep breath as I walked across the room to my desk.  

Ah, the sweet smell of lilacs.

Moments of simplicity.

Moments enjoying the flowers of the season.

Moments D402: Hard Rocking 50's Dressed Lady

I know. What a crazy dichotomy, right?

Here’s the scoop. This evening I attended the closing party for CONTACT Photo Festival. So I dressed up. It’s not often that I have an opportunity to do so. I picked out a dress that I bought late last summer and have yet to wear. It’s a pretty blue dress with flowers on it. A-line in shape, its structured reminiscent of the 50’s. It has a strange sense of innocence. It’s a bit out of my typical style as it is very “girlie”.

As I was driving to work today, I was playing OCTANE on XMRadio. That is a station dedicated to hard rock. I LOVE that station and listen to it often. Today however, it felt a little odd to be dressed up so “girlie” and in such a “delicate” dress and be listening to Octane. It was like two worlds collided. I had to laugh at that moment. I guess it just goes to show how diverse one can be. From hard rock to a delicate 50’s dress

I rather enjoyed that collision though. I’m sure I surprised a few people in rush hour traffic with my windows down, tunes heavy and my pretty blue dress.

Moments of comparing sides of one’s personality.

Moments realizing, it doesn't really matter.

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Dad, who is a SUPER star for all his hard work recuperating. He’s doing brilliantly! Love you Papa bear! xo

Moments D281: Lazy Bones

Today was the laziest day I've had in years as 90% of my day was further laying down or eating & drinking. Brilliant. Exactly what vacations are for. Detox & revitalization.

So lazy, that this is all I write tonight! I loved my lazy, lazy moments today.

Moments D277: DOCs & Soundgarden

Today was a slow start and not nearly as productive as I needed it to be (I’m sorry tomorrow, you are going to be a little more crammed now because of this!), but even so it was a good day and this evening ROCKED.

Literally!

My BFF and I went to see Soundgarden tonight at the Sound Academy. We were about to leave my place when she noted my footware and suggested that I go get my DOCs. Damn. I haven’t worn my DOCs in (ahem) over a decade. Hell, I thought to myself, why not. If not at a Soundgarden concert, when would I dust those maroon bad boys off? I smiled the entire time it took me to lace them up properly. The memories that flooded to me. Incredible really. I was 15 years younger all of a sudden!

It wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the Sound Academy. It’s a smaller venue and it was crammed with people tonight! I swear it was a sea of six-foot-something guys for I barely saw the stage for the entire concert! No matter, though as the SOUND at this venue is amazing and Soundgarden did not disappoint. Chris Cornell sounds incredible live as do his band mates. Such an incredible concert. Bravo.

So today’s moment, enjoying a blast from the past. Both my fun, well-worn, well-loved DOCs and one of my favourite bands from decades ago.

Easy to dance and sing up a storm with these guys!

Moments D270: Piano Man

This afternoon I went to an old theatre that has recently been revived to see Skyfall. It’s a cute little theatre, not the mega big screens that we are all used to now, but being quaint and older seemed to best fit a BOND movie.

The movie itself was good. Not awesome, not horrible. Still, I enjoyed it.

But the moment comes from after the movie as my girlfriend and I were leaving. There was a sitting area just off to the right of the theatres. In that area were bistro tables, chairs, and of all things an old stand up piano. Like the ones you would see in an old Western movie. Like this one: 

It reminded me of the one I used to play on as a child. Upon the piano was a sign: ”If you know how to play the piano, please feel free to play for a short time to entertain our guests”. How fortunate for us that there was a man playing for us when we left our show.

He was very good. He moved from one piece directly into another. He very much knew what he was doing and you could tell that he was very much into it. While I waited for my girlfriend returned from the loo, I sat and quietly soaked in the melodic sounds of piano floating in the air. It was a beautiful moment. I think I could have (perhaps I should have) sat there longer had my homework not been calling me.

Moments enjoying random acts of another’s art.

Moments where you close your eyes and you are whisked away to another time.

Moments D228: Unexpected Concerts

Today I slept in and then lounged in bed a bit.  It was warm and cozy unlike the cold, dreary day I awoke to. (Another perfect study day though!)

I was a good student. I worked hard to get through my notes. And I ploughed through quite a bit! But, I won't lie, I was bored.  So, when I was asked to fill for an a cappella concert, I really couldn't resist!

Company that made me smile, music that made me sing, and a group that was inspiring to watch.

The best moment at this unexpected concert outing tonight was when the "meat and potatoes" worked with the crowd to create an interactive song. (of course I sang along!) It was absolutely fantastic!

And yes - we bought the CD. Actually BOTH. Their Christmas CD too! Check out their rendition of "Carol of the Bells".
Moments to enjoy an unexpected concert with beautiful voices.

Moments with the music.

Moments D215: VIP Concerts ROCK

Tonight was an amazing night.    BFF + VIP = fun, fun fun.

It was the Theory of a Deadman & Big Wreck concert at Massey Hall (a beautiful venue!). Big Wreck is my girlfriend’s favourite band (well, at least top two!) and she went all out for this show - VIP.

We met the band. We received a signed and numbered lithograph. We had a laminated pass given to us. We had our pictures taken with them. And best of all, we were in the second row! Best, seats ever!

Moments to dance and sing along with fellow fans.

Moments with the music.

Moments D213: Girls sticking together

Tonight was the Metric concert. I’ve been looking forward to this concert for some time for a couple of reasons. One, they are a great band and two - it was an opportunity to catch up with my BFF who has been insanely busy mitigating much change in her life. Fighting a cold and tired, she hauled out for the evening’s festivities. That was a special feeling in its own right.

After a delightful dinner with cocktails and wine at E11ven, we made our way through the definite winter chill to the ACC. We quickly found our seats and were introduced to the couple just next to us. Little did we know that this was NOT a good thing.

This 40-something couple was very drunk! Unfortunately the guy was incredibly obnoxious as well and in everyone’s space around us. Because of this, a group of ladies just behind us were also drawn into the drama as we waited for the concert to begin.

I had hoped that once the concert began they’d settle down into the music and the performance. Sadly, this was not the case. Further, my poor BFF was right beside them. She was bumped and pushed and annoyed to no end by the male drunkard.

I too was distracted by this couple’s actions, for I was worried that my friend, fighting a cold, was really not enjoying herself. I even offered to switch seats to help. It was one of these times where I looked over to make sure that things were going okay when I noticed that the lady directly behind the couple was leaned over and talking sternly to them. YES! She was giving them shit for intruding into my BFF’s space. That was an awesome moment. Having a complete stranger look out for us.

I mentioned this stranger support to my BFF. She said that it was like the 4th time this particular lady had done just that. Oh my. I was doubly impressed. This last time seemed to do the trick though as the drunken couple did seem to keep their distance from that point onward.

In the end, it was a great concert that we were unable to fully enjoy because of this distraction. The woman of the drunken couple actually vomited at one point. Yup. Forty year old party animals. So strange and so unfortunate.

And yet, I smile at the thought that we had a complete stranger watching and helping out from behind.

Moments of distractions.

Moments to thank strangers.