I’m trying to get a lot done this month, maybe too much, and it’s already getting precarious. Tonight a concert deftly slipped in and took the time that was going to be alloted to writing and exercising.  Was it worth it? Definitely. Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles put on a dynamic and fun show. But still, the piper must be paid and so here I am. Officially, I  could just forget blogging tonight, but it’s on my big big list  of too many things  to do so I’m going to churn out something.

The focal point of the show tonight was Julie Doiron, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. For some people, she’s just the chick in Gord’s band, and that band is nothing but a side project of The Tragically Hip. Others may know of her own solo work, and the real music nerds (hello!) hold her in a place of reverence for her part in Canada’s first prominent alternative band, Eric’s Trip. So it was very strange that near the end of the show, she  looked  out into the audience and waved excitedly at a  friend of mine.

To be more accurate, she was waving at the sister of one of my high school friends. We’ve never hung out, but I get along with her and I really admire her artistic pursuits. In addition to singing in the band Bruce Peninsula, she also writes and produces theatre works, short stories, and collaborates with other artists. But regardless of the body of work she’s creating as an adult, she’s still a little sister in my mind. So it’s weird when a professional musician gets excited to see her.

On other fronts, the multimedia part of the show was great. The theme of the show was impermanence and the volatility of art, that as soon as the sound is created it disappears. And in between songs, Gord used an overhead projector, cutouts, and paint to create pieces of art to accompany the next batch of songs. From nothing to a stunning tableau in 30 seconds, and probably different each and every night.

It has been a perfectly pleasant Halloween. Max has had a fantastic time going door to door, and is still having fun handing out candy. The final costume decision was puppy dog. For those out there who were wagering on the outcome and picked ‘puppy dog’, congratulations!

It’s been really nice to see a steady stream of kids to our door. The last 2 years have been kind of pitiful, with only a handful of kids each year. Whatever the reason, the kids have returned and it’s ben fun giving them candy.

On to the daunting challenges segment of our program. Tomorrow NaNoWriMo starts, and I’m going to do this thing. To make it harder, I will be blogging the fruits of my hurried writing on a separate blog (it’s the link on the right  hand side over yonder, if you’re so inclined). How will I manage to write and average of 1700 words every day, and edit the mess before unleashing it on the public, and continue doing this blog, and keep an eye on Max during the day, and get to the gym to combat my growing midsection, and do any paying work that comes along?Wish I wasn’t so soft and whiny when it came to sleep deprivation. Oh well, pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er.

 

 

Max and I went Halloween shopping today. To be accurate, this is the 3rd or 4th Halloween shopping event that either involves or focuses on him so far. This is his fault because he looks so adorable in every costume he puts on. Ape? Cute. Dog? Cute. Pooh Bear? Don’t even get me started.

This time I planned to get something, anything, for myself. As usual, I started to seize up with the paralysis of choice. If you ask me ‘what do I want to be?’ I look at you with a fearful and confused look in my eye. What do I want to be? What truly represents me? Why do I over think every decision in my life? Can’t I just pick something and relax?

Well, I found the catalyst that pushed me past the critical decision-making threshold-cheapness! Specifically, a 50% off all Halloween items at Zellers. I won’t pay 15 bucks for a cheap vampire cape, but evidently 7.50 is a perfectly reasonable sum.

A big part of the appeal is the large variety of nonsense I could buy for very little money. Instead of having to carefully pick one costume idea and spend my meager funds on that, I could pick shoddy accoutrements from a bunch of disguise ideas.  I bought the cape, a pair of glow in the dark handcuffs, deluxe makeup kit with vampire fangs and glow in the dark fake nails, a wig and gloves and hat for the wife, a devil mask, and another set of kid-friendly makeup, all for 35 bucks. I hope no one at the store thought I was implying anything about my dear wife when I was asking Max  “should we get a broom and witch’s hat for mommy?”.

Now I can finally realize my secret dream of being a vampire millionaire detective (wasn’t that a show on Fox?). There’s probably a moral to this story, but heck if I know what it is right now. But I do know that relaxing and going with the holiday spirit made the whole thing a lot more fun. I may have reclaimed yet another holiday/special event from my anxious childhood. Score!