Will the Madness Never End?!?

Jeez-louise - will the madness never end.

Since my last post, things have been, as always, ridiculously busy. Only currently, even more so, my mind is getting frantic, as evidenced, by my excessive use of commas.

Trying to get stuff ready to fly out to Calgary tomorrow evening. Gonna emcee a wedding this weekend. Yikes.

Some highlights of the madness of these past few days:

1. Saw Cronenberg's "A History of Violence". Brilliant. Gory as hell and the sex scenes were emotionally graphic. In retrospect, that's far better than they typical sex scene in holiday: hollow and contrived.

2. Went to the Bruni's for Easter dinner. The Bruni clan rules.

3. I am burning out from working so much. Looked through my organizer. Of the 108 days that have passed in 2006, there have only been 4(!) days where I've not done something yoga related.

That's a lot of yoga teaching and training. It's gotten me razor sharp, but at this pace, if I keep on sharpening, I'm gonna round off the edge.

4. Heard a great quote on CBC from a graphic artist doing a comic book about Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla teaming up to fight crime:

"Thunder is impressive, but it is lighting that does the work" - Mark Twain

Look at the people around you. Do they tend to be thunderous?

I Have Seen the Future, and it is Final Fantasy

Hello - just wanted to write a quick blurb about a show Hil and I saw (with LK and AZ) this last Sunday at the Music Gallery.

Right now, the Music Gallery is my hands-down favorite for best music venue in TO - it's a tiny church on John Street, just off of Queen! I don't know how the people that put this event on were able to develop such a solid rapport with the church folks, but you can imagine the delight of hearing incredible music in a smaller church setting. Stained glass, sitting in pews, or for those that want to get closer, on the floor itself. Everything has such a "music first! make money for the promoter last" sort of feel.

Opening acts were interesting, as the show was called "The Man Show". First band, Mattias was BORING. Whatever happened to showmanship? One trick pony, uber boring band - Angela astutely pointed out how we could do that - ie play one-note melodies of straight up quarter notes.

Second act, was Mantler. Mantler is a keyboard playing, singer guy. Dressed in a top hat and suit, scruffy Mantler sang songs of beautiful poetic images, and with so much sincerity, that you couldn't help but love him. Reputedly big in Germany, it'd be nice to see Mantler get some Canadian support. (That name is a hindrance though: M + Antler, and you get Mantler?)

But the penultimate moment of the evening was Final Fantasy - aka Owen Pallett. Classically trained, super young, and brimming with creativity, Owen is currently one of the "big things" on the Toronto music scene. And with good reason. Using a loop machine, he is able to make the most devestating and beautiful sounds on a violin. Stuff that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end . For the first time, it's all rather dismaying seeing tiny Owen screaming into the soundbox of the violin to distort his voice, or pounding the housing like a drum. His songs are futuristic - at times avante guard and strange and then soaring into beautiful crescendos with a classical flavour. Contrast and colour, power and precision. This guy is incredible - ultra innovative, supernatural.

He should be touring more, as he seems to be releasing a new album.

If he comes to your neck of the woods, do not miss him.

You will be missing the future.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/features/artistprofiles/f/final-fantasy/

Advanced Hip Flexor Opening Technique

Why I Haven't Posted...

Hi Guys,

Well, it's been a whole slew of days since I last posted - and it's because I've been super busy.

Taught 16(!) classes this week... which for myself, is unheard of. I know some folks can do more, but I'm not that strong. But, it seemed like everyone needed subs at the last moment, and then some regular committments came back up too.

On the outside of that, been trying to get ready for Stu's wedding, as well as somehow, continually half-assing my english correspondence course.

Ridiculous how I get myself so busy. Was talking to Hil the other night about how it feels like we live more in a day, than some folks do in a week.

Is that good?

Sometimes...

j

Matchpoint: Riveting Social Tennis

Friday night, myself, Hil and the mighty Leslie K went to the Kingsway (great area!) to catch Woody Allen's Matchpoint.

While Woody's star has diminished of late (and deservedly so, for some lacklustre scripts and his perverse home life), I'd heard good things of this latest offering.

In a similar vein of seriousness to his other brilliant piece Crimes and Misdemeanours, Matchpoint is an incredible film. A tale of adultery, fame, riches, and more, Matchpoint plays much on the theme of how luck is something that is vitally important - even if it can't be accounted for. Luck can swing when one's life is in a balance.

While I could go to great pains and give a plot synopsis, it would really be missing the point at conveying how much I enjoyed this film. At times, the script is so tight, and the scenes so exact, that it "reads" like a Dicken's parable. This is Woody's finest film, and his craftsmanship is superb - note his masterful use of music to build tension, the shots that linger (Hil's point) and spot-on casting. Everyone in this film is perfect for the role - and the scene where an enviable Rhys Meyers tears apart Scarlet Johanson's shirt is worth admission alone. Caliente!

So, check it out. Matchpoint. Winner!

Sage Words from The Washing Machine Man

Yesterday, Sean, the Italian-Applicance guy stopped by the apartment.

Our washine machine, which he had proudly extolled a few months ago, "This, I'm not going to lie to you, this, THIS is a good machine. It will last you thirty years or more!"was dead at three months.

Wow. Neither Hil and I are even thirty, so, that seemed like a good pitch at the time. .

Sean's arrival lead to a prompt fix of the problem - the plug for the drum had vibrated loose.

Forty bucks for the repair call. And since it was our fault for not balancing the load properly, it wasn't under warranty.

Sheeee - it.

Oh well - Sean wanted the money in cash, so we hopped into his service van, looking for an ATM.

I like Sean. Sure, losing 40 bucks sucks hard, but the man has to make his living too. As he negotiated the traffic on Dundas Street, I learned that he has 4 kids. Three from his first wife who died of breast cancer, and one from his current Cubanisimo lady. His oldest daughter is a teacher now. His oldest son doesn't live with them anymore. He tried to become a police officer but got kicked out for hanging out with the wrong friends.

Sean hazarded a guess that I was twenty and still in school. When I told him I taught yoga, and was almost thirty, he was dismayed. "You're 29? You should be in construction. That's where all the good money is right now. Those guys in construction, they make lots of money - too much money if you ask me. That's what I would do if I were you."

Some other sage advice during our 10 minute drive:

1. "make sure you don't have any kids soon. you have kids, it's all over. The work starts."
2. "go back to school"
3. "work in construction"

Not only do I get my washing machine fixed, for $40, I get life lessons too - a bargain at any price :)

j

"It's Like a Symphony of Joints"

Today - today, was a glorious day. Maybe the first capital letter on the upcoming sentence of summer!

Getting out of bed, the sun was shining through the back deck windows. I looked over - Hil had her shirt wrapped over her eyes, but after a while, it was no use. Time to get up.

Right now, I'm reading Dicken's "Great Expectations" for my english course, and while I find the manner of language from that era maddening (just say what you want to say!), it's beginning to engage me. Did an hour of that, then headed down to the Dog for morning mysore.

What a sweaty, sweaty practice! Room was busy, and although Ron Reid is still away in India, super David Robson was working the room brilliantly. Pools of sweat everywhere, and the windows were dripping - then again, maybe that's 'cause whenever someone opened a window, Dave would slam it shut. Did I mention how busy it was? - maybe it has something to do with the mysore time slot being more civilized: 10am - 12pm.

Tuesday practice is always a good one for me, and I focus on, (surprise!) lots of backbending. The opening second series backbends (which, if you're doing them right, are SUPER, SUPER hard), have been helping me open up my upper spine, as well as building some sorely needed strength in my wimpy lower back.

Right now, I'm in the process of reinvention, and doing things the "right" way, as opposed to the easy way. After 5 months of this, things are starting to make more sense, and the tight parts of my body are starting to catch up, as opposed to my old approach of making the flexy parts flexier, and the tight parts - well, tighter..

As I pushed up into another backbend, I remembered Diane's summary of the technical set up it takes to get a spine just right

"It's like a symphony of joints."

Hmmmm - "... like a symphony of joints." Pelvis, sacrum, ribs, vertebrae, scapula, humerus (and the other 10 players that I forgot here), all coming together on the same page.

After practice, and that feeling of deep work, I went home. Hil and I sat on the deck, basking in the sun doing school work. Actually, I was nodding off more than anything.

***

Oh yeah, been pulling my hair out, trying to figure out the perfect fit for my new bike. And with that, has been the search for just the right stem. Gone through a whole bunch now, and then I went back to the first one, and took a nice fast ride with Dave B today. And dangity, if that thing didn't feel better.

Maybe it's the sun.

Please - let summer start!

j

BTW - David Robson's the guy in the bottom of the pic.

Big Teaching Day / Potential Renters

I taught 4 classes today. Woah... that's a lot of talking.

Went surpisingly easily - 2 in the morning, 2 in the evening. Of course, right now, as I sit on the futon, I'm absolutely drained.

Hmmm... this afternoon, as I rolled up to our apt, a guy ran across the street, asking, "Hey! How much is the rent?"

He was referring to the sign listing the apartment below mine and Hil's. I tried my best to answer his various questions, and looking at him, he seemed a bit quirky. As he ran across Bathurst St, back to a beat-up parked van, it all made sense. He was wearing platforms - 2 inch lifts. Combine that and the shoulder-length hair, and flared-in-the-hip pants...wow - he was either a drag queen or a transexual.

Moments after he left, 2 girls walked by, with garbage bags slung over their shoulders. Once again, they asked me about the apartment for rent.

When they found out it was the middle floor, with the balcony facing Bathurst, they got really excited and proceeded to kiss in front of me. I told them about the balcony out back as well, wondering what sort of reaction that would evoke... but things stopped there.

After they left, I shut the door.

I live in a crazy neighborhood.

j