Cool Music On a Cool Night

Last night I had the pleasure of spending the evening listening to live jazz in a cozy downtown church known for its acoustics and concert presentations. The show was part of a series called Impressions in Jazz that's sadly at risk of being discontinued due to lack of interest. It would be a shame. From last night's programme notes:

"Impressions in Jazz is an exciting series of jazz repertory concerts celebrating seminal figures and movements in jazz history. The series, now entering its second season, is produced by Ottawa bassist Adrian Cho, and features leading Canadian jazz and symphony orchestra musicians ... Each concert is the result of extensive research and preparation and presents exciting small group jazz along with rarely performed symphonic jazz works."

Last night's concert, Suite Freedom, honoured jazz from the Civil Rights Movement and featured the works of John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and a few other composers I'm now eager to discover. The musicians were amazing and lulled me into their world for nearly four hours, sometimes with eyes closed taking in the soothing melodies, most of the time sitting on the edge of my seat bopping away. Well worth the $25 for some cool music on a cool night.

Winter Comings & Goings

OK, spring is definitely not approaching today. It feels like -22 degrees Celsius out there and there's 10-15cm of snow on the way. Yet, the streets are full of people bundled up walking around with their coffee cups in hand. I love it. Let not winter stop life in the city!

Pros & Cons of Street Parking

Cons: Driving around neighbourhood streets after work, curse words increasing at each intersection crossed without finding a spot. Parking my car a 10-minute walk from my door.

Pros: Walking 10 minutes to my car this morning in lovely weather, noticing that the birds are starting to sing a different tune. Could spring be approaching?

It's all about perspective - and lovely weather. ;)

On a Movie Kick

For the past few weeks, I've been on a movie kick. I used to watch movies maybe two, three times a month, max. Now I've been renting two or three a week, and I'm liking it! It all started with a discussion at work about good movies and a listing of the Top 250 Movies of All-Time on The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) site. Whether you agree with the list or not, it's a good source for selection.

Several of the Top 250 are old classics, to which I'm very much uninitiated. A colleague suggested I start with Citizen Kane, and so it went. Although I've only watched a few so far, I quite enjoy the classics. I like seeing the origins of a lot of today's pop culture. When I rent an old movie, I try get a recent one too, just to balance out my viewing experience. So far so good.

All this to announce that I've added a section to my blog's sidebar called Recent Movie Picks, where I'll list the latest movies I've watched. Maybe it'll inspire you to pick one up? I haven't included reviews yet. Although a friend and I have brainstormed on how I could creatively expand on the "Two thumbs up / Two thumbs down" concept, that'll be for later. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy watching them. :)

C.R.A.Z.Y.

I just watched one of the most powerful films I've ever seen. Perhaps I was simply in the right mood to appreciate it, who knows. I most certainly recommend it. The film touches on the beauty and struggles of the human spirit. It's about love, family, relationships - with others, with one's self, with God.

If you haven't seen it yet, rent C.R.A.Z.Y., and be ready for something beautiful.

A Quiet Evening

It's funny how a sudden blast of winter can keep people inside. The streets are quiet this evening. It's cold. It seems like many decided to stay put, or quickly make their way to someplace warm. I was planning to walk to the video store and stock up on movies tonight, but it was even too cold for that.

On quiet, solitary evenings like this, I sometimes spend time standing at my window, simply looking out at the world outside. I like to observe. I wonder what's going on in the apartments across the street. I notice candles on a windowsill, a guy watching his big screen TV, and a person sitting on a chair in the middle of an empty room, playing the flute. It often strikes me that each unit in each building houses not just a person, but an entire life with its own joys, heartaches, love, family and friendships. I wonder what those lives are like. I wonder, is there someone else out there looking at my window wondering the same thing?

Just a few thoughts that cropped up on this quiet evening.

Urban Living Checkpoint: Week Four

After almost four weeks, here are a few more of my favourite things about living where I live:

• the proximity to my weekly dance class - now it takes me 15 minutes to get there instead of 30
• an independent bookstore with a good mix of titles including this one I got today: The Creative License, by Danny Gregory
• a tiny flower shop where I picked up a single red daisy that now graces my table
• the proximity to friends who work downtown, enabling me to "do lunch" with them more often
• the fact that I can see the full moon shining over the city from my apartment window - if I shut the light, I can see its rays on my kitchen floor

Those are a few things that tickled my fancy these past few days. Just thought I'd share. :)

Bigfoot? In Ottawa?

I think I saw Bigfoot on the street last night, or maybe it was Chewbacca. And I suppose since it was almost a full moon, I shouldn’t dismiss the possibility of it being a werewolf should I? Whatever it was, it took me by surprise.

I was hurrying back to my apartment, walking head down at a pretty good clip. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw a human-like form walking towards me wearing a brown furry one-piece jumpsuit. I did a double take and tried not to stare. My first instinct was to look for a pair of eyes, but I couldn’t find any! His – and I assume it was a man because of his height – entire head and face were covered by headgear that looked like it was attached to the jumpsuit. It was a little disconcerting at first, but afterwards, I couldn’t help but chuckle and wonder, “What the hell was that?” Perhaps this person was just determined to not let the cold stop him from enjoying a Saturday night walk and found an old Halloween costume to keep him warm. If so, power to him! In any case, I can pretty much guarantee you I wouldn’t have met anything like it on the street where I lived before. Gotta love the city.

C-c-c-cold

I had good intentions of exploring local sights & sounds these past few nights but it's just been too darn cold. I'm a self-confessed cold wimp. With a wind chill of minus 18 degrees Celsius, I've spent most of this week hibernating in the warmth of my apartment. The good news is that the cold has helped re-open the Rideau Canal Skateway. Maybe I'll strap on the skates again this weekend - pending warmer of weather of course.

Does Stuff Help Make The Home?

What is it with stuff? Why, how, and when do we become so attached to it? In theory, shouldn’t we be ok without it? Shouldn’t home be anywhere we present ourselves – mind, body and soul? Or is it more than that.

Some people do well without stuff. I’m not sure I’m one of them. I could probably do without if I needed to, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

I spent time unpacking and hanging prints on my walls this past weekend. I smiled as I unwrapped each one, and tried to find a place for it. I experienced the same thing when I unpacked my books a few weeks ago. The moment they went up on my shelf, I breathed a sigh of relief. My apartment became more of a home.

Maybe the key lies in the intent behind our stuff, in how we choose it. This time when I moved, I tried to consciously pack only the items I wanted to keep vs. dumping everything in blindly. What I ended up with are things that really matter to me. For the first time, I can honestly say that most of what I have either a) serves a purpose, b) has sentimental value, or c) brings me joy.

My stuff reflects me. Not to confuse this with my stuff being me – it simply reflects what I love, what makes me happy. It carries energy. It brings me comfort. Maybe someday my ability to detach from it will be put to the test, but for now, it helps make my place a home.

Winterlude Fun At My Doorstep

I walked downtown to see Tom Cochrane & Red Rider play a free outdoor concert tonight. They were officially opening Winterlude, Ottawa’s yearly winter carnival. Despite the cold mist falling, I dug out my umbrella and figured I’d go for a stroll to check it out. It was great! Cold, but great! At one point as I was taking it all in – the lights, the music, the people – I couldn’t help but break into a huge grin. All this going on, and practically at my doorstep. That’s pretty darn cool.

Lonely in the City

One of the reasons I moved to the city was to be surrounded by people and the energy that comes with them. It didn’t dawn on me that even amidst the hubbub I could feel lonely. I found myself walking alone tonight and instead of feeling energized by everything around me, I felt disconnected. I felt like an outsider longing to be one of them, to be part of it all.

Maybe loneliness has nothing to do with where I live but how I live, my state of mind. Maybe it’s simply a question of being patient, accepting that being able to walk alone on a new path without feeling lonely takes time.

In the meantime, I console myself by knowing that once I get used to it, there’s a whole city waiting out there for me to discover. In due time …

Urban Living Checkpoint: Week Two

I’ve been in my new place two weeks. I thought I’d share a few of my favourite things so far:

• the proximity of everything – almost anything I need or want is within a 15-minute walk
• the workmanship and character found in heritage buildings
• my red kitchen, purple bedroom and lime green office
• the original claw foot tub sitting in my bright blue bathroom
• the big bay window in my living room that lets in oodles of natural light
• a local independent video store that specializes in hard-to-find titles, but isn’t too snooty to carry my favourite cartoons
• the proximity of everything – have I covered this one already?
  

This is after two weeks in snowy, slushy January. Just think of what spring and summer will have to offer!