Songs of the Month for December 2009!

Well, I'm officially in love.

And the songs of the month should make that perfectly clear :)

Outside - Aqualung



Burnin' Love - Dido Featuring Citizen Cope



As Much As I Ever Could - City & Colour



*happy sigh*

Also, if you're interested in fashion, you need to check out this blog. Now that I'm living the hipster life in Kensington, I do the "would this outfit make it onto The Sartorialist?" check before I leave the house. The answer, usually, is no. But I'm working on it!
~g~

Songs of the Month for November 2009!

Okay, once again I have three awesome songs and just couldn't pick a winner.

Enjoy :)

Bohemian Rhapsody - The Muppets



A Glorious Dawn (Cosmos Remix) - Carl Sagan feat. Stephen Hawking (freaking awesome!)



Shadows - Au Revoir Simone (cuz it's on repeat on my iPod right now.)

Songs of the Month for OCTOBER 2009!!!!!

AHHH! Life is so overwhelming right now!!! Lucky for me, I have THREE songs that make me dance and bounce around my empty living room, flailing my limbs like a Muppet!

... speaking of Muppets...



Okay, now for the songs! GET UP! DANCE IT OUT!!! BEFORE I OVERDOSE ON EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!

A-Punk - Vampire Weekend


Stuck For The Summer - Two Hours Traffic


Fake Palindromes - Andrew Bird


Ahhhh... Feel better?
LOVE,
Gillian

SOTM for September, 2009

Nobody blogs anymore, hey? Yeah, I'm kind of over it too, but I made that blasted promise to do the Song of the Month, so here ya go. This is all you get :P

What can I say except I love this song, and it's been on repeat a lot this month! Oh Imogen Heap... you're awesome :) Also, I've swooned, so it's oddly appropriate.




xoxo,
Gillian

Introducing...

My beautiful little nephew SEBASTIEN!!!

Proud Auntie!!!

So Sweet!!!

Proud (but tired) Daddy!

He's just perfect! Great job, Nathan & Sheila!

Welcome, Sebastien! We're so happy you're here!

Loads of love,

Auntie Gillian

Song(s) of the Month for August, 2009

Lately I've been freaking out. You see, in a few weeks I turn 30. Yup. The big 3-O. Eek. I've been upset because I'm not where I thought I'd be or want to be at this point in my life. But I've also realised that hey, what was so great about my 20s anyway? Especially the past three years. But REALLY especially the past year. Maybe it's not a bad thing to say goodbye to that decade?

The two songs of the month are songs that I'm pretty sure were written about me. I don't want you to see this in a negative way, though. This is just me saying goodbye to the old and embracing the new. That was 29. This is 30. It's going to go up from here.

Not Your Year - The Weepies



I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2



Love,
Gillian

Sometimes, Maybe! - Song of the Month for July 2009

My brother Nathan recently presented me with two mixed CDs. Upon listening to the CDs, I quickly came to the conclusion that my brother is a lot cooler than I am! I have many favourites from these albums already, but one song in particular stands out as the obvious choice for song of the month. At first listen, it's cute and vintage and I'm a fan. However, the more I listen, the more perplexed I am. I'm sorry to say that I've spent a good hour or two analysing the lyrics. Give it a listen, and then if you will, float along with me through the murky waters of "Mama Let Me Scoop For You."

Alright? Here's what I've come up with:

1. What the heck is scooping? I thought perhaps this was some vintage slang, but Google said "no dice." I must therefore assume that it's something naughty due to a) his persistent pestering and b) the fact that he'd have to "spend the night" to do it. I suspect this is a response to a song I put on a CD for Nathan. "Walk Like A Camel" by Southern Culture On The Skids also fits into the "it SOUNDS naughty, but I have no idea if it is or isn't" category.

2. I get the impression from her vague responses that the "mama" in question doesn't know what scooping is either. The lady is non-committal and I can't say I blame her! If someone suggested that they wanted to "scoop" with me, I'd probably say "err... huh??" Some of my favourite responses are "sometimes, maybe", "ooh boy!" and "if you know how I want it did?" I think that one is priceless and utilitarian. I'm going to use that next time someone says something incomprehensible to me.

3. WHY, for the love of all things holy, does he go on and on about the scooping and then, THEN proclaim that he doesn't even like scooping... Excuse me? Men are complicated. I just don't get them. You wanna scoop with her for 2 and a half minutes and then you're all "ya know what? I don't even like scooping." And he was wearing her down, too!!! He even got a "come on, let's go see!" Isn't that just like men, though? They only want something when they can't have it! When they can have it, they don't want it anymore :P

4. There are some lyrics I'm not entirely clear on... help? At one point it sounds to me like she's saying "Two makes the cheese for combining, daddy", but I'm pretty sure that's not right. I also can't make out why he doesn't like to scoop. This is driving me crazy. Please help! I'm losing sleep!

At any rate, there's only one thing I know for certain about this song... Rufus Wainwright needs to do a cover!!!

Happy Summer!

Love,

Gillian

Everybody's Gotta Have a Hero...

Is it wrong that mine is Eartha Kitt??

Je Cherche un Homme


I Want To Be Evil


... awesome!


And speaking of Batman and Catwoman, what is my favourite quote of all time?

Adam West regarding the actresses who played Catwoman: “they all gave me curious stirrings in my utility belt.”

BWAHAHAHA!
~gillian~

Song of the Month for June, 2009

First of all, I have to say that I am SO sad to hear about Michael Jackson. I've been such a fan of his since I was a teenager. He was an amazingly talented musician and dancer, and I think it's so tragic that his life was so difficult and that he passed away so young. Some of my favourite memories are connected to his music, so I was tempted to post one as the song of the month. But could I pick just one? Of course not! You should just go listen to a CD or watch the videos on YouTube. Thank you for sharing your talent, MJ. You will be missed.

So instead, I will post a song that I have been listening to non-stop all month. I love love love love this song.

Dave Matthews Band - "Lying In The Hands Of God"



Dave Matthews was interviewed by my CBC celebrity crush the other day, and he told a monkey story that made me laugh out loud at work. I'm going to post that too :)



HIL-AR-I-OUS!

Love,
Gillian

Yoga Pics!

My wonderful family humoured me yesterday by driving out into the mountains and posing for Yoga pictures (in front of gawking tourists and everything!) These are a few of my faves!

Yoga Baby Belly!

Thanks SO much for your help, guys!

Love,

Gillian

Ahhh, the 80s!

I just ran across this on BoingBoing.net and it was too good! I had to share it. This one goes out to my fellow children of the 80s! It's the perfect kind of rainy weekend to rent a bunch of old Brat Pack films or 90s teen flicks. I've felt like watching "Empire Records" lately. Maybe a little "Pretty in Pink" is in order too!



Little Known Fact: I am an EXPERT at the Molly Ringwald 80s dance from "The Breakfast Club." Try it! So much fun!

Love,
Gillian

P.S. I've been promising pictures of The Wall and Nova Scotia for weeks now. I vow I will get on that this weekend!

Ernest et Celestine!!!

One of my favourite things to do when I was a little girl was to go to the library or bookmobile and take out Ernest and Celestine books. They were just the sweetest little books in the world, with beautiful watercolour illustrations, delightfully French, of course (my heart belongs in France, you know!) My mum and I just loved to read them, they were so lovely. As a grown up I have been looking for them everywhere, but unfortunately the books are no longer published. When I was in Nova Scotia, my mum suggested that I try eBay! Glory of glories, they had a bunch of them! I'm trying to save money, however these books are just so important to me that I HAVE to make an effort to collect them. I ordered one, and it arrived today, and guess what? I opened it up and immediately burst into happy tears. It's an old library copy, a little bit worse for wear and slightly attacked by markers, but still... oh the memories! The loveliness of it! If anyone is looking for birthday present ideas for me, please please please consider eBay and the Ernest and Celestine books (in English or French! I'll take anything!) So far I only have "Ernest and Celestine's picnic." I can't wait to cuddle up with my little niece or nephew and share them. Bean? Get ready for some lovely story times! I can't wait!

Love,

Auntie.

And The SYTYCD Song Is...

"Stuff Like That There" ... What did we do before the internet?!



I'd put up Bette Midler's version from "For The Boys", but embedding is disabled (boo!) But here's the link. "P.S. I love You" is a good song too, so check it out!

K honeys, time to weekend it up!
~g~

YAY, SYTYCD!!!

Have I mentioned how excited I am that the new season of So You Think You Can Dance has started?! YAY!

Just heard a song that I LOVED, so I hopped on The Google to try to find out what it was (cuz I'm not cool like everyone else, and do not have an iPhone with the Shazam ap!) No luck yet, but I found this blog, which should help! (Looking for the lindy hop song... anyone, anyone?)

Anyway, to celebrate, here's one of my fave dances from previous years! HOW does she move her hips like that?! HOW?!?! I can't even samba to save my life!



XOXO,
Gillian

Song of the Month and More!

Well well well. A year ago this week I moved back to Calgary. Can you believe it? I honestly don't remember most of this past year. It's been a blur of messes, but it's looking up, my dears, it's looking up!

I've been meaning to blog all week, but you know how it is when you come back to work after a vacation? The world is falling apart. It involves overtime and crying in the bathroom. A lot of crying, and feeling like a hack, and absolutely hating going from a beautiful, lovely 9 days of being spoiled in Nova Scotia to being a grown up and working overtime and paying epically huge car insurance bills that mean you're living off white bread and bologna until payday. Dealing with engineers and stinky cats that you're allergic to and shouting neighbours in crappy apartments. So obviously, this has to be the song of the month... OBVIOUSLY.



There's a quote along these lines in a book I'm reading, too!

"The problem is that children believe what adults say and, once they're adults themselves, they exact their revenge by deceiving their own children. 'Life has meaning and we grown-ups know what it is' is the universal lie that everyone is supposed to believe. Once you become an adult and you realize that's not true, it's too late. The mystery remains intact, but all your available energy has long ago been wasted on stupid things." (- Muriel Barbery, "The Elegance of the Hedgehog")

Or in my own words: "growing up... phooey!"

BUT enough moaning! When I feel bad, you know what I do? I head straight to 1000awesomethings.com. Why? Because it's a blog about awesome things, and trust me, you will read them and smile and go "YES! That IS awesome!!!"

Awesome things off the top of my head tonight are:
- People who laugh at my dumb jokes
- "So You Think You Can Dance"
- Concierges in French apartments
- runpee.com

Bed Time!
XOXO,
Gillian

A Few Nova Scotia Pictures!

Just a few pictures for now! My best friend and her daughter came out to visit me and my mum in Nova Scotia this past weekend. It was so nice to see them, and so much fun to have a little one around. Here are a few pictures from their visit!

Kirsten and Claire on the lawn tractor!

Claire throwing rocks into the stream at Blomidon beach.

Miss Claire.

Miss Claire in the princess bathtub!

Thanks for visiting, ladies! It was so good to see you :)

Love,

Gillian

Vitamin Water Comes to Canning

... I was as shocked as you are! Not only that, it's 60 cents cheaper than in Calgary. Only 3 kinds, but still! Progress.

Lots more to blog about, but I'm trying to soak up as much vacation time as possible, so I'll do more updates when I'm back... f I come back... It's 29 degrees Celsius here and there's coconut gelato....

xoxo,

Gillian

Fingerpaint The Sky (Till Everything Shines)

I am so tired that I can't even get off the couch and go to bed, which would be the reasonable thing to do at quarter to midnight. So while I try to find the energy to walk the dozen or so steps, I want to share this story with you. I came across it on BoingBoing.net and holy cow, it's nice when someone can use their influence to just HELP someone who really needs help, who just needs a hand to take that first step. I'm so lucky to have such a great family, because it takes away the fear in a way. Things could get terrible, but I have so much support that I know I can handle pretty much anything. I think it would be so easy to help a lot of people who really just need that boost. You can do it without much money, as long as you can just get people to open their eyes and care. I hope this story inspires you as much as it's inspired me. I'm thinking lots about The Celestine Prophecy, too. I'm sure I'll have more thoughts to share soon!

The story starts here and you can keep reading the many updates here.

Love you,
Gillian

NEW Harry Potter Trailer

HOLY COW it looks SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





EEEEEEE!!!!!!

~gillian~

Song of the Month for April

Here's a question: How many pints of Haagen Dazs have I gone through over boys this past year?

Here's the answer: TOO MANY!

So I've come to a conclusion. I need to be irresistible. I need to be the kind of girl that makes the fellas crazy. I'm not happy until they can't eat or sleep for thinking about me, and my unattainable awesomeness. Think Marilyn Monroe's sex appeal mixed with Eartha Kitt's sass, with a dash of Betty Crocker's mad baking skillz. Yup. That's the goal. Watch out boys. You better get to Tiffany's before there's a line out my front door!

This song has absolutely got to be my anthem then. Withholding the kisses while their hearts do the mambo. "Stay cool, fool. Just take it easy, that's the rule, fool!" But can they help it? Of course not. I'm just that exciting!

Do you know about Nikki Yanofsky? She is SO talented, and was only 13 years old when she recorded this! Are you kidding me?! SHE'S AMAZING!

xoxo,

Gillian

Zzzzzzzzz....

I know it's been ages since I posted anything! The truth is that I've just been so darn tired lately! Part of the reason I've been so tired is that I've been walking to and from work most days. It averages out to be about a 40 minute walk each way if I walk at a brisk pace. It's pretty good exercise and a really pretty walk beside the river, but it sure wears me right out doing it twice a day!

About 25 minutes into the walk my, er... gluteus maximus is feeling the burn and I very much want to nap under the next available tree. At that point I have to turn my ipod wayyyyy up and pray to Poncho Sanchez, who I have deemed to be the Patron Saint of Energy! "SAVE ME, PONCHO SANCHEZ!" This song is guaranteed to get me through the final push. It's a fabulous mix of Blues, Latin and Jazz. It's like the Blues to a Cha Cha beat and it makes me want to swing my hips and get down. So fantastic. And so appropriate, when it's Early in the Morning (7am.... ugh!!)

I couldn't find a video online, so I just made a little video to a picture that I took ages ago. This is what I want when it's Early in the Morning... Thank God for Poncho Sanchez!

(greasy, greasy, greasy!!!)

XOXO,

Gillian

Where The Wild Things Are

Oh My God.... OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! IT LOOKS SO GOOD!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!



And as if that wasn't good enough...



Two of my favourite childhood books! Eeee!!!

K I have to go try to bribe my cat out from under the bed :S

Love!
Gillian

The Wall - Part 1

Well, I couldn't very well expect YOU to do all the work, could I? So I started work on the wall myself and made a bunch of prints of my favourite photos. It already looks SO much better. The middle bottom pic was from my first outside contributor (THANK YOU!) and the rest are mine. There's still a lot of wall to fill up, but it's already getting easier to be here with dear little Tessy and a sandy Belal watching over me, not to mention the handsome Prince Caspian and the charming Miss Claire.

XOXO,

Gillian

My Cry For Help

Hot Mess: Someone or Something that is such a mess... the level of it, is off of the charts. It's past pathetic, past pitiful. (UrbanDictionary.com)

I do love the term Hot Mess. It is just so much more descriptive and accurate, so much more... sticky and unpleasant and difficult to clean up after. I mean, you can vacuum up after a mess... But a hot mess is going to require elbow grease, harsh chemicals and a steam cleaner. My life has been a Hot Mess lately. I can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's going to take about 6 months of very Zen thinking and bare-essential living on my part and, well, a little help from you for me to get through this. I'm counting on you here.

This is what I need:

$2,500 and a helicopter.

Okay, but seriously.

I need you to send me some free art.

I have a huge 8'x8'(ish) wall that is completely bare, except for a sad little coffee table housing my TV, 2 sad little shoeboxes full of about 8 books that I couldn't bear to pack, and two shoeboxes of assorted gadgetry. I also have unattractive cords reaching their nasty tentacles over to cable and electrical outlets. The rest of my stuff is packed. It's freaking pathetic and every time I look at it I feel like the world's biggest loser and I start to cry.

In roughly 4 months I will get my stuff back from Nova Scotia, and in roughly 6 months I can hopefully buy a condo, but for now I'm going to have to live in this sad state of affairs and not shoot myself before then. I have the basic essentials to get me through, so I don't NEED anything except for that wall to be a true expression of the love and support you all feel for me (you DO feel it, don't you? No, that's not heart burn!) And it doesn't have to be a masterpiece. It can be something you drew or painted or glued together or photographed. It can be found art, a thrift store find, a poster, a greeting card, a Picasso. I don't care what it is, as long as it's something I can put on my wall that makes me smile. In return, I will take pictures as THE WALL progresses, and post it on my blog. Please help. I'm going to be shameless here. Spread the word to people we know who don't read my blog. I really hate asking for help, but I either need this or a 6-month supply of valium.

Here's a picture of the offending wall to inspire action. If you need my address, then email or phone me or my parents. Thank you in advance for your help! You're amazing and I owe you big :)

(depressing, isn't it?)

Love and thanks again!

Gillian

Music, music, music...

I'm a bit (okay, a lot) of an emotional time bomb right now. Now I don't want to make you cry, but this week I've run across a few songs that just kill me. So lovely and lonely and sweet and beautiful, so I really must share. Just listen to the lyrics. You probably won't cry, but you might be touched. I hope so, because they really are beautiful.

Little Jack Frost - Kate Rusby (fan-made video, but nicely done!)



Never Die Young - James Taylor (forgive the bad 80's-ness. I like the new acoustic version better, but there's no video *pout*)



One More Night - Phil Collins (There's something about the office I work at... full to the brim with 20-something boys with a Phil Collins fixation! I guess it's rubbing off on me! ... seriously, though... they LOVE Phil.)



Love to you!

Gillian

A Very Random Post

First of all, you know that CBC Neko Case interview I was telling you about? Well here it is:



Jian Ghomeshi is officially my new celebrity crush. He is so darn intelligent that I swoon frequently as I listen to him. Much like Anderson Cooper, but with a self-deprecating Canadian humility.

Well, right now my apartment is completely covered in boxes. I'm a touch overwhelmed, so I'm avoiding everything right now by blogging about nothing. Nice! So here are a few random video clips that are on my mind right now. Make of them what you will! I'll never tell (well, not on my blog, anyway!

XOXO,

Gillian

Song of the Month for March 2009

I told you I had a Song of the Month for March already! And the wind is currently rattling and howling around my balcony doors, so why put it off?

This song/poem has been in my life for-ev-er. Since before I was born. So it's not surprising that it's my mum's Song of the Month too! This song talks about every month of the year, so I think about it a lot, but here's the tricky part: My mum and I can't even think of the word March without our subconscious minds adding "in March the wind blows down the door and spills my soup upon the floor. It laps it up and roars for more! Blowing once, blowing twice, blowing chicken soup with rice!"

... you think I'm joking, don't you? But every blasted time. Next time you see me, casually bring up the word "March" and wait for the pause :P

I slacked off this weekend and read the entire second book in the Twilight series. Oh dear. I am officially obsessed. It's taking all of my self-control to not rush out into that howling gale and buy the third book, because if I do I'll just end up moody and resentful at work. ("stupid work... cutting into my perfectly good reading time." *grumble, grumble*) I haven't seen the movie yet, but I bought the soundtrack and have this song basically on repeat. Seriously. I drove up and back from Dad's the other night, and probably listened to this song 40 times, all told. Sad, sad, Gillian. The music video is way too creepy, though, so I'm going to embed a "Twilight tribute" video instead. Cuz Robert Pattinson as a vampire is hawt. There, I said it. And I'm not sorry.

Urgh, Sunday. Have a good week, everyone!

Love,

Gillian

Song of the Month for the February Blahs

Oh Lord, I am so so so so so so so so soooooooo sick of freaking winter!!! So Cold! My brain is frozen! All week I've been aware of that ridiculous Song of the Month on the ridiculous 101 in 1001 list and thinking "what?! What song?! AUGH!" I already have March's song picked out, but not a chance for February. February is the WORST month... which is why it has the Blahs. Ask anyone. Anywho, I had a few possibilities for a song, but nothing stellar. And I'm cold. And this song makes me happy and makes me think of spring and driving with the windows down and singing loudly ("I love you iki ge tomarukurai so, I miss you kataku dakishimete itsumade mo!") and playing Katamari when it's too hot to do anything else. So here's a little Everlasting Love for you:



Oh what the heck... let's keep the ball rolling (har har har) with some "Lonely Rolling Star", too:



Stay warm!!!
Gillian

Holy Mother of God!

I just saw this video on BoingBoing.net and I think it's the scariest thing I ever saw! I've had nightmares like this! Why the HECK would you drive into that?!



There were some amusing reader comments on the BoingBoing link that made me LOL at work (on my lunch break... I'm bad, but I'm not THAT bad!) A few adept viewers noted that around 1:00 the cloud looks suspiciously like the King of the Cosmos from Katamari *gasp* and it SO DOES! That's just the type of thing the King would get involved with, too!

Okay, but seriously... I have to watch that over and over because I'm so hugely disturbed by:
a) That's real. That's actually real.
b) They actually drove INTO IT!
and c) The video just STOPS in the inky, horrible blackness. Did they even make it out alive?! *shudder*

Okay, lunch is over, back to work!
Gillian

Lily Allen (yay!)

I bought Lily Allen's first album "Alright, Still" shortly before I moved to Nova Scotia. I listened to it for the first time while I was in the car with my dad, and quickly realised that this wasn't the kind of CD one should listen to in the car with one's dad. A little obscene, a little inappropriate, but strangely addictive. My mum even wanted a copy! So I was pretty excited that her new CD came out this week. It has the same mix of deep, heartfelt songs, songs about drugs, songs about sex, but still wonderful lyrics and beats. She's a terribly eloquent person (heard her interviewed on CBC this week) and she's just a real young woman who wants to be swept off her feet, feels the pressure to lose ten pounds when she looks at magazines and is excited and confused about the future. So I can relate. Maybe not to ALL of her songs, but to a lot of them ;) "22" off the new album? BOY can I relate. (No music video yet, but the tune is here.)

Anyway, here's the video for the first single (P.S. There are a few naughty words, so you've been warned.)
"The Fear" - Lily Allen

"I don't know what's right and what's real anymore, and I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore. When do you think it will all become clear? Because I'm being taken over by the fear." ... I hear ya, Lily! Plus that dress is dead cute.

As a bonus, here's a video from her first album. I love this song AND the video. So cute :)
"Littlest Things" - Lily Allen


Love!
Gillian

Shocking Front Page Valentine News!

Do you remember last year's Valentine's Day post?

... I'm going to need you to sit down. This announcement feels like it should have full orchestral accompaniment. Picture me on a stage with a microphone while you read this:

Ladies and gentlemen. For the first time in five years, I have a date on Valentine's Day. Not only that, but it's with someone I really like. We had our third date last night, and this morning I woke up waltzing around the apartment, singing this:


(please note, this isn't "love", but it's "pretty darn smitten." And yes, I am aware of the underlying "Gillian feels like Cinderella" Theme. Oddly, that wasn't planned! Waitasecond, where's my glass slipper?)

*eh-hem* anyway... We're going to make dinner and watch movies. I'm excited. What the heck should I wear?!

People keep slyly trying to ask me how the dating thing is going without full-out asking me, and I think that's cute, but you can ask if you're really interested. I'm hoping it's less about quantity (I have 4 dates this week alone) and more about one quality Prince Charming in the near future. I gave myself the goal of having 2 Valentine offers this year, and I succeeded, although the first one was a back-up proposal, and I knew that and held out for a better offer.

Anyway, that's the good news! I have lots to talk about on here right now, so stay tuned this weekend. Happy Valentine's Day, for those of you who are practicing the romantic arts. For those who aren't, for the love of GOD eHarmony is having a free weekend. Go freaking sign up! I promise it's worth it.

*swoon*

Gillian

Tunage!

Wait, aren't all of my posts about Tunage? I promise I'll write about something else soon. What do you want me to talk about? Twitter? Shoes? Books? Yoga? Futons? Hidden Treasure? My new favourite word ("proclivity")? Boys? Send me your requests and I'll go on and on about it!

Eh hem...
Anyway...

A few days ago I heard an interview with Neko Case on CBC. Her new album is coming out in a month, but I was scoping out YouTube looking for early leaks because her cover of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me" is that fantastic. Don't bother YouTubing it yet, because there isn't a version up with the orchestra of free pianos, which she keeps in a barn. However, I did find a very similar interview, with video footage of the Piano Barn and a shortish clip of the Nilsson cover... Check it out!

Another recent CBC discovery is Haligonian darling Jenn Grant. I think she's awesome, and I've been listening to her first album on repeat. It's strange and lovely and different and yes, whimsical. I have a whimsical proclivity. (yeah, that's right! Proclivity! Knowledge is power, kiddos!)



Okay, good grief it's bed time. I can teach Yoga or I can design sprinkler layouts, but apparently I can't do both without my ears aching from too much yawning.

Love,
Gillian

"Oh Strings, yes yes"

Just in case you weren't aware of how awesome Andrew Bird is...



... I think I should probably marry him...



I'm even doing a painting based on some of his lyrics. Yeah. Obsessed? Me???

Love,

The Future Mrs. Andrew Bird

Song of the Month for January

I'm going to be honest with you...
This song has been stuck in my head for most of January, so it's gotta be the song of the month. And I mean stuck. It's 24/7 "La de da de dum, la de da de dum, what's the name of that song?". I sing it at work. I think it on the bus. I dream it at night. "La de da de dum, la de da de dum, what's the name of that song?" Cruel, I know, because it's going to be stuck in YOUR head for all of February. I'm sorry, but "La de da de dum, la de da de dum, what's the name of that song?" Dear David, Maria, Luis, Susan, Gordon and Mr. Hooper? I don't know. That's what Google is for. Look it up.



I blame Nathan for this, because for Christmas he gave me the Putumayo Kids Presents: Sesame Street Playground. I was listening to "La Chanson de L'Amitie" and went "Waitasecond! This isn't a song about Friendship! It's 'What's The Name Of That Song.'" Because I am truly the Sesame Street Goddess! French Sesame Street... you ripped off 70s Sesame Street. Just in case you thought you got away with it, I'm onto you :P Now, please hire me, as I've now proven my Sesame Street awesomeness to you.

And in case you didn't believe me...

La de da de love,

Gillian

We Sure Can!!!

Did you listen to Obama's Inauguration speech? Was that not inspiring? I think I have to add him to my list of celebrity crushes, up there with Anderson Cooper!

The big problem for me is that I jumped up out of my seat, eyes brimming with tears, and said "How can I help? Where do I sign up?" Then I realised that I am but a lowly Canadian with an epically lame government, and worse than that, an Albertan stuck in the midst of the Dirty Oil governed by Ed Stelmach: The Premier with the personality of a wet, mouldy mop. Comedian Baratunde Thurston described Bush as "intellectually as incurious as a block of wood (and that's being rude to the wood.)" I think that suits Canadian politics too, and I think first we should be worried, and second we should be inspired. Mostly we should DO something.

So I'm wondering if there's a way to volunteer my services to support the US government? He's captured me, just like he said he would when he talked about "imagination grown to a common purpose." My imagination is right there all snuggly with the common purpose, and I'd dearly love to take a little action here. If there's not a Canadian community jumping to action to do something around here, then there should be. If I need to spearhead such action, then so be it. Where shall we start? Send me your ideas! Let's spark a little change :)

In related news, CBC has released the 49 songs on Obama`s Playlist. I haven`t heard of most of them, but the winners are:

Affairs of the Heart: Marjan Mozetich
American Woman - The Guess Who
Barber: Violin Concerto: James Ehnes
Bobcaygeon - The Tragically Hip
Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
Brother (Watching) - Shad
Canada's Really Big - Arrogant Worms
The Canadian Dream - Sam Roberts
Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot
A Case of You - Joni Mitchell
Closer to the Heart - Rush
Dégénération - Mes Aïeux
Democracy - Leonard Cohen
Departure Bay - Diana Krall
Évangéline - Marie-Jo Thério
Four Strong Winds - Ian & Sylvia
Goin' Up a Yonder - Measha Brueggergosman
Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould
Hallelujah - k.d. lang
Helpless- Neil Young
The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors (...obviously)
Home - Michael Bublé
Hymn to Freedom - Oscar Peterson Trio
If I Had $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies
J'ai quitté mon île - Daniel Lavoie
Jolie Louise - Daniel Lanois (ooh, good call!)
La complainte du phoque en Alaska - Beau Dommage
Mario Takes a Walk - Jesse Cook
Mon pays - Gilles Vigneault
Montréal -40C - Malajube
Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers
One Great City! - The Weakerthans (YEAHH! ``I hate Winnipeg!``)
Ordinary Day - Great Big Sea (YEAHH GBS!)
Oublie-pas - Karkwa
Place St. Henri (from Canadiana Suite) - Oscar Peterson Trio
Pour un instant - Harmonium
Quand les hommes vivront d'amour - Raymond Lévesque
Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
Rêver mieux - Daniel Bélanger
Rise Again - The Rankin Family
Rise Up - Parachute Club
Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen
Swingin' Shepherd Blues - Moe Koffman
Universal Soldier - Buffy Sainte-Marie
We'll Gather Lilacs - Ben Heppner
Wheat Kings - The Tragically Hip

Too much Tragically Hip and wayyyy too many French songs :P Apparently Quebec and New Brunswick voted a lot. And no Blue Rodeo! For shame, Canada! You probably made Jim Cuddy cry :(

Love you all! Let`s make a change, people. And do a little dancing.

Love,

Gillian

I never thought I'd say this...

...but this almost makes me want to be American.





Thank goodness George "misunderestimate" Bush is outta here!

Love,
Gillian

P.S. If you need a laugh, this one is on me. I've been kind of down this week, so I've sought solace in strawberry ice cream and The X-Files season 1. I was on my third episode of the night when the radiator made a suddenly banging noise and I jumped so high that I almost tipped the couch over. Yup. Awesome. Me? Afraid? Only a little...

1980... yikes.

When I was a little girl my dad had a cassette tape of the "Xanadu" soundtrack. I used to love that tape, and I still have a few MP3s kicking around from it on my laptop. For some reason I'd never actually seen the movie...

until...

today...

And can I just tell you? I've never seen such a blinding display of the 70s meeting the 80s. Do you remember the flamboyant outfits? The hair? The colours? The acting?!?! My God, it was terrible, but in such a wonderful, cheesy, horribly fantastic way. I wanted to turn off the TV, but I was drawn into it. The legwarmers. The animated BIRD wearing legwarmers! An old Gene Kelly tap dancing in freaking ROLLER SKATES! Olivia Newton-John's dresses! THE STORY LINE (that gets a "W... T... F...!?!) The overt sexuality! The glitter scene changes! ... the glitter in general! I simply can't get over it. I loved it and hated it and remembered all the words to the awful songs. I sat on my living room floor, folding laundry and singing along.

I just...

I can't even...

... you should have friends over and rent it. You should make a drinking game out of it. And there should probably be fondue.

Here are a few of my favourite clips, but you should really watch the whole thing.

This was and is my favourite song, and probably the most "normal" scene in the movie... which should say something...



... and you thought I was lying about the bird in legwarmers... This is my favourite part of the movie when it comes to cheesiness. Did I mention glitter?



so... freaking... awesome...



Love!
Gillian

Obama's Playlist

Did y'all hear about this? CBC... you're so awesome.

49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel
Canadians choose 49 songs from North of the 49th parallel that defines Canada to the new President.
Beginning Monday, January 5, CBC Radio 2 invites Canadians to help select the top “49 songs from north of the 49th parallel” that would best define our country to the incoming U.S. President Barack Obama. His playlist could definitely benefit from some Canadian content, especially given the depth of our musical offerings – spanning a wide variety of genres and representing our culture from coast to coast.“One of the best way to know Canada is through the depth and breadth of our artistic expression,” says Denise Donlon, Executive Director, CBC Radio. “We're excited about the new President and we want him to be excited about us, so we're asking our audience to help compile the list of our most definitive Canadian songs!”
A total of 49 songs will be determined.So, what Canadian music do you think are the most definitive 49 songs from North of the 49th parallel?

I'm not sure if they're actually going to put the songs on an iPod for the prez, but they really should :) I am so excited for this new chapter in American history.

What songs would you pick?

Here are my top 5.

Kashtin - Akua Tuta



Sarah McLachlan - Angel



Great Big Sea - When I Am King (because it's so appropriate! "The world will sing when I am king!")



The Weakerthans - Tournament of Hearts (because it's SO Canadian!)



Barenaked Ladies - Jane



Now those are only the songs I can find on YouTube, so maybe tomorrow I'll post my top 5 Canadian Songs that AREN'T on YouTube so you can give 'em a listen, too. Yes. That sounds like a good plan. One day I'll also give you my tour of the Canadian Provinces through Music!

YAY Canadian Music!!! Send me your picks!

Now I'm going to go because my computer sounds like it's about to explode...

Gillian

Putting the "Delirious" and "Blue" in Delirious Blue

There's nothing like staying inside for days on end with stuff on your mind. It makes you crazy. It makes you both Delirious AND Blue. That's not a great start to the New Year, so I'm going to ramble about nonsense on my blog. That's what it's here for, isn't it?

So first, Nova Scotia Christmas pics!

Mmm, green grass!

Gramps and some boats

Lobster Boat. Tis the season... for roadside lobster stands. $5/lb!

I've never witnessed such a wind. We were leaning our weight against it and it was holding us up! Madness!

What next? The whole "delirious blue" thing made me realize that I've never (on this blog) explained where I got the name for my blog. It comes from the poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee Jr. The line is actually "delirious burning blue", but that seemed like excessive typing. Here ya go:

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, -- and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air ....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Okay, one last thing. If you're single? For the love of all things holy, try eHarmony. It has restored my faith that there are actually worthwhile single people out there. I've been on it less than a month and I've been matched with almost 200 eligible and educated men, and am talking to 30 of them. 30... 30 men who are MATURE, smart, single and who want a relationship... and who ask priceless questions like "how many children do you want?" and "do you want to go condo shopping with me?" Are you kidding? Marry me now!!!

Have a good night!

Love,

Gillian