Fun with google

Hahaha I just did the funniest thing. Well I think it's funny...

I'm going to try and learn Ta Douleur by Camille. I thought it might help to have a translation. I speak a bit of french but not quite enough. So I googled it and came up with this:

Your Pain by Camille
L? you it east d?d?br>Laisse me to replace you
I will take your pain

Gently without making noise
Like one r?ille rain
I will take your pain

It fights it d?t
But will not r?stera
I will block the elevator...
To sabotage the switch

But it is which this incrust?
This storm before?
Bitch of small sister salts?

I all will confiscate to him
Its fl?ettes and its whistle
I will give him the fess?..
To transfer R??

But it is which this h?ti?
Who bathes who ground
In water Ti? of your kidneys?

I will deprive it of dessert
He to make bite the poussi?
Of all those which do not have anything any more...
Of all those which are not any more hungry

Say me that fout science
With when this bridge between our paunches?
If you have l??' badly be afraid
You do not have l??e badly thinks!

What is this qu.elle wants this silly bitch
The butter or money of butter
What you sharp or which you die?

What it is necessary Cr? of happiness
Or that it changes godasses
Is necessary that it collapses under the flowers
Change color...
I will play the doctor

Say me that fout science
With when this bridge between our paunches?
If you have l??' badly be afraid
You do not have l??e badly sings!

Some bits of this crack me up. Especially "godasses". What a word! "Bitch of small sister salts"??? I also love the image of the "bridge between our paunches" - not sure if that's a bad translation or a clever lyric??

On another version it had a little bit of english at the start:

;">[I know you're suffering, but trust me, I'm gonna take away your pain.]

Which became:

[ I know you' Re suffering, goal trust me, I' m gonna take away your bread. ]

Nasty bitch. Not the bread. Anything but the bread.


I think doing my own translation may have clarified things a bit more... but far less entertaining!! :-)

Rubbing shoulders with celebs & other stories...

Woohoo! I just spent the funnest evening... filing!

Well ok not that fun really, but it does feel good getting it out of the way. All part of the Great Cleanout Of 2007. Cleaned out my wardrobe the other day too. Threw out clothes that I have literally had for seven or eight years. In the bin. Yay!

Met Caroline Tran last week.

Paris & I went to a gig at the Corner which we knew she was going to be at. We had the intention of saying hi to her but I pretty much expected it to be a waste of time. Because usually I'm a wuss. And also these things never go as planned.

But I found myself watching the Vasco Era blow everyone away, sandwiched between JJJ's Caroline Tran (Home & Hosed, the J's Australian music show) and RRR's Richard Moffatt (Incoming, RRR's Oz music show). Now is that the holy grail for a Melbourne indie rock chick or what??? So I decided it was now or never...

So I mustered all my braveness and tapped Caroline on the shoulder, just as she was about to walk away. She was really lovely and chatted to me for well longer than she had to about the band, and other musicy, radioy stuff. She totally remembered my band and the name of our EP, and gave some very specific feedback about the music. Which I very much appreciated. I know it would be very easy for someone in her position to piss in my pocket and tell me it's wonderful, but she was very honest and said what she does and doesn't like about it. Upon reflection I wonder whether possibly she thought I was the manager & not a band member, because she kept referring to the band as "they" and not "you". I think she must've figured it out eventually, especially when I said "this is our manager, Paris." But regardless, she was very friendly and I will make sure I keep in touch.

At my sister's birthday party on Sat night I met a guy whose mother now lives in one of the houses I grew up in. Weird. He also grew up in the town I spent my first 10 years in, and his cousin was one of my best friends in primary school. Small world. We caught up on lots of country town goss and spent a lot of time talking about music. He's a guitar player - heavier music than what I do, but an interesting perspective on the industry nonetheless.

I don't think I've talked much about my sister yet, which is weird because we're pretty close. She is seeing a new boy and she's very excited about him. He seems very sweet and they're cute together. I hope it works out, she has not had the best luck with guys recently. I think he will get along well with Adam, although of course he's nowhere near as hilarious. Duh.

They were having a pool party at my parents' place, on the half built deck which is literally bigger than my house. Dad was away on a golf weekend, and had put the fear of god in me that no-one was to walk on the unfinished bits of deck. Yes I'm still scared of my dad. So I acted all grown up and told kids to get off twice. (When I say kids I mean less old adults) I also did other grown up things like make the salad, stay out of the pool (it was freezing!) cook the BBQ and drive home at 12:30am. I'd had a biggish Friday night and woken up with a cold - again - so wasn't really in the mood to be there anyway. So I graciously declined all but one cocktails offered to me and was tucked up in bed by 1am.

Friday night was pretty fun, saw a few bands at the Laundry and caught up with a friend from the business course I did last year. Paris knows him randomly & he was there to see her really, but I managed to monopolise him hehehe. She was too busy off flirting with the guys from the Sydney band who were playing. Not sure whether she scored... I got fed up with drinks being dropped round my ankles (not by me) at about 3am and walked to my car.

Halfway to my car I realised I possibly wasn't sober enough to drive, so bought the biggest bag I could find of Honey Baked Ham chips and scoffed the lot. I possibly still wasn't quite under the limit (yeah i know, how much difference could a bag of chips make anyway? it made complete sense to my almost-sober-enough-to-drive logic though.) but did so anyway without incident.

Set my alarm for early so I could give Chester his tablets, snoozed a bit and ended up giving them to him at quarter past 9, half an hour later than usual. By this time he was huffing and puffing and not interested in food, so the next 20 mins was spent with me shoving tablets mixed with dog food down his throat. Not pleasant for either of us. He spat out one tablet about 12 times until I finally crushed it into a paste and just wiped it all over his mouth so he had to lick it off. It sounds cruel I know, but if he doesn't have those tablets his heart will probably fail so it's for the best. He was pretty crap all day but better by the evening and totally fine the next day. What a pain not being able to sleep in even half an hour!! It will be very nice to be able to share this responsibility eventually.

The Oscars music is making me feel sick, it's so schmalzy!! I think it's time it went off.

Does anyone think Grey's Anatomy may be going down a weird road this year? I don't know, I just have a dodgy feeling about this season so far. All two episodes of it, i know, give it time, but you have to admit the situation with Meredith is a bit silly. I'm still enjoying it, but just wondering whether it's gone too far. As most good things, especially TV shows, eventually do.

BTW - very happy for people to speculate about this but please don't spoil it if you can see into the future!!

The gym is still going well, I've surprised everyone especially myself by continuing to go every day except Sunday. Gym six days a week!!! ME??!!!

I'm improving almost every time, although I did have a few dud cardio workouts last week - just couldn't push as hard as I had the week before. But the last one was much better so hopefully just a temporary slump. I did the Calf Exercises Of Death today so no doubt won't be able to walk for the next 3 days.

Alright I think I've crapped on enough for now... sorry I know everyone else manages beautifully structured posts with a point, but I seem to have a penchant for rambling. Take care chickens!! XO

Open Toasted Sandwich of Awse

I thought I would share with you something that has been brightening the middle of my day for a few weeks now. Obviously the variations are endless, but this is how I do it!!

OPEN TOASTED SANDWICH OF AWSE
(formerly known as the Open Toasted Sandwich of Awes - Thanks Jac!)

• Toast 2 slices of Country Life Performax bread (yes you can use any bread but this stuff is healthy, low GI, blah blah blah & yummy!)
• Smear both slices with a layer of low fat cottage cheese (home brand will do)
• Add a layer of low fat ham, low fat turkey or one of those yummy little cans of flavoured tuna/salmon. (Put several slices of ham or whatever on each to ensure you get enough protein.)
• Add a layer of sliced beetroot (yes from the can - try a low sodium one)
• Top with a handful of rocket (Half on each - don't forget to rinse it. If you're not sure, rocket is sort of like lettuce only way tastier. Use lettuce if you prefer. You can buy "wild rocket" in a 100gm pack for $1.98 from Coles. This will be enough for about a week)
• Slice some fresh tomato on top of the rocket. (I prefer vine ripened to regular: they're more tasty but a bit more pricey!)
• If you grow fresh herbs shred a couple of basil leaves on top, otherwise a sprinkle of the dried stuff will do fine. Or if it's too hard, go without.
  
• Add a smidge of salt - (I prefer Vegie Salt) - and a little grind of black pepper and VOILA!

This is a delicious lunch or even breakfast, with a good balance of protein, carbs & vegies. I'm not going to make any claims as to the fat content etc but I know it is very healthy. Guys can probably use 3 or 4 slices of toast, either make each one a "closed" sandwich, or simply make 3-4 open ones.

This meal could be prepared at work at lunchtime if you have access to a toaster, a sharp knife to cut the tomato, and a fridge to store everything. Oh and a plate would be handy. It only takes about 5 minutes to put together if you have everything in the fridge.

Let me know if you try this... and any tasty variations you come up with!

It has been seven days since my last confession...

Forgive me bloggers for I have sinned. It has been seven days since my last blog session. Oh well, I never promised to be good at this!!

Ok, so! What's been happening??



Good question! The last week has just flown by - aided no doubt by a visit from a certain handsome ninja over the weekend. Not long to go now kids, only four weeks till I have my ninja back for good. Yay!!


So...

Had a hot dinner date on Valentine's day with... a bunch of nerds. IT nerds, more specifically. It was a production meeting for the radio IT show I work on - very classy - pizza and beer/wine and tech talk. Now is that a hot date or what??? Actually they are all very lovely people and seeing as I would have been alone otherwise what with Adam being in the wrong freaking state, it worked out quite well. And I think we got a lot accomplished at our meeting.

Did a graveyard shift on Thurs night which screwed up my sleeping patterns for a few days. It was so hot I only managed to get four hours sleep after arriving home at 6:30am, so when it came time to pick Adam up from the airport at five past midnight Friday night, I was kind of in a daze. Sparked up a bit when I saw him though!!

We had a great weekend together despite the stifling heat. My valentines gift to him was two tickets to Tenacious D in The Pick Of Destiny diligently mailed up to Brisbane in time for Valentine's day. Which Adam then managed to leave in Brisbane. Fortunately the cinema staff were very understanding and allowed us to see the movie without our tickets. See, that's how charming we are. Anyway the movie was awesome - totally stupid and cheesy but hilarious. Anyone who likes rock or Jack Black should definitely see it!!

After the movie we shopped somewhat successfully for exercise gear and took some "before" photos. Adam and I are going to start a 12-week fitness program as soon as he moves back home, but I thought since I have already started on the weight & cardio training, it might make more sense to take the before shots now, before my body starts to change. We are going to try and do the program exactly by the book, and I'm really excited to see what results we can achieve together.

Then we went to the gym together (are you vomiting yet?) and did our 20 mins cardio before hitting the beach. By this time it was about 5:30pm, it was still stinking hot and the beach was VERY pleasant!! We just walked with our banana lounges to one of the beaches near our house and it was SO nice!! I love the beach so much!!! I'm really gonna miss it if we move...

Mich met us as the sun was sinking. After lounging for a bit longer the three of us decided to head over the Westgate to Williamstown for dinner. We picked a random restaurant and had quite a nice meal, and a glass of wine that went straight to my head. And an ice cream - yum! I don't have ice cream very often any more, it's such a treat!

On Sunday, Adam and I played mums and dads: wearing straw hats, digging holes in the garden, putting a heap of junk on the front lawn, using secateurs... it actually felt great!! I am going through such a cleansing phase at the moment, clearing out all this junk feels terrific.

Then we met the Fianckies (that's what we call them), Sandra and Lee, for a late lunch. They were in between a wedding and a reception, with several hours to kill. Can I just say this is a stupid custom!!! Why do newlyweds need to pose for photos for FOUR HOURS while the guests have to find something else to do? In formal wear, no less. Surely wedding photos should be about capturing the moment, not standing round forcing smiles for hours and hours while your flowers wilt and your makeup runs. And the ceremony was in a family garden as well, so it wasn't like they couldn't have had the wedding just before the reception!!

Anyway, it meant we did get to steal Sandra & Lee for a few hours and have quite a delicious and hilarious lunch of crap-talking. Lee is about the only person I've met who talks as much crap as Adam. Or almost as much. So between them there was much silliness.

I reluctantly took Adam to the airport that evening - it's weird, it should be getting easier because the end is near but it doesn't seem to be. The opposite, even.

Then I went home and wallowed in the first episode of Grey's Anatomy, and flicked between the So You Think You Can Dance finale and whatever the show was called that was on after Grey's. What About Somebody. Anyway I liked it, it was just the sort of crap I enjoy on a Sunday night after a busy weekend.

This week has been business as usual. I have been hitting the gym first thing every morning, which seems to be working well, and on Monday I had a fitness assessment of sorts. Basically he just measured me with a tape measure, didn't use those calliper things or anything, and didn't actually give me the results. But that's ok, at the end of my program at least I'll have something to compare with. The main reason I wanted to see him anyway was to get him to show me the correct way to do several of the exercises in my book, which he did, and was very helpful. He was impressed by my determination and wants to see me at the end of the program to see how I went.

Yesterday I had another singing session with Hayley and we chose another song. Anyone like Fleetwood Mac? Rhiannon it is! We both love Fleetwood Mac and it's got some great stuff for me to work on in it. And I really like the lyrics. Very exciting!! I'm thinking next week we might do something by Camille... a little ambitious maybe, especially as it's mostly in French, but fun to try!!

After my lesson I got waxed as usual, only I got a little more, or a little less, than I expected.

I did a small business course last year and one of the friends I made was a beauty therapist who was opening up a salon. Since it opened I have been getting waxed by her and since the beginning she has been trying to convince me to go Brazilian. I have firmly resisted. All I want is to not have sideburns when I wear a bikini. I'm really not interested in my bits looking like those of a 10 year old! So... every time she waxes me she goes a little bit higher. Normally she's quite subtle about it. This time... well let's just say she has left a tiny strip. And, it hurt like hell!!! Girls, when someone tries to tell you a Brazilian is no more painful than a regular bikini wax, it just goes for longer, don't listen!!! Some of those bits are very sensitive!!! Ouch!!

Now... if I just had someone in the same freakin state to appreciate her handiwork, it might be worth it!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Yes, I know, it is easy to be cynical about this commercially-driven forced day of amour, but let's face it - what girl doesn't love receiving flowers??

Here's what I got...


Like my attempts at fancy photography?


Thanks Adam!! XO

10 Things I Hate About Today

1. Woke up with a sore throat.

2. Can barely walk due to doing calf exercises yesterday for the first time ever.

3. Chester crapped on the carpet. Again. I just got the smell out from last time.

4. Smashed a glass while barefoot.

5. Lix Gelati on Chapel St has become Kebab Mania. (Good thing we left South Yarra)

6. Trying to transfer a track from my minidisc to my PC took about two hours. Sony suck.

7. Once I finally transferred the track, emailing it took another two hours. Outlook sucks.

8. A friend emailed me saying her partner is suffering some alarming depression symptoms. Just after I read the email another friend called me & talked for an hour about her depression.

9. Driving in peak hour in a manual sucks.

10. The video shop didn't have Sex & The City series 4, or Grey's Anatomy series 2.

I could go on. Shitty day. Sorry.




On the plus side...

1. The hairdresser gave me a refund for overcharging me the other day.

2. I made it to the express post box just as the mailman was emptying it at 2 minutes to 6.

3. Chester is much less sick than he was on Sunday.

4. I had the opportunity to give feedback - positive and negative - about two new mixes on the album. And so far it has been taken on board.

5. I got a CD review done that I have been putting off for a week (didn't like the album).

6. I only got charged $2 for the DVD I returned because it was scratched to shit and some episodes unwatchable.

7. The band bank account almost has enough in it to pay all our bills. (I have been worried it wouldn't get close)

8. Tonight's rehearsal was cancelled. Sore throat + calf muscles = really can't be bothered.

9. I got the sore throat 3 days after the gig instead of before (like usual).

10. Three more sleeps till I see Adam.


It may sound like I lead a pathetic small life. Some of you are thinking - geez, if they're your worst problems, you've got it made. You may be right. But every now and then everyone loses perspective, and what may be small things in isolation can snowball and become a Very Bad Day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better...

Let me tell you about my weekend...

On Saturday night the band had a gig. Soundcheck was at 6:40pm (don't ask why!) and I was aiming to get there at 6.

Five outfit changes and three makeup redos later, I arrive at the venue at exactly 6:40. That's why I was aiming for 6.

Perfect timing though, I got one of the boys to lug all my heavy shit upstairs while I carried the small stuff. Ric laughed when he saw me. I couldn't work out why. He said "nice outfit," and laughed. "Are you being sarcastic?" I asked. He said no but I didn't believe him. Later he told me it was because my dress matched my hair. He was trying to work out whether I got the dress to match the hair or vice versa. He was right, actually, I tried on the dress immediately after getting my hair coloured, and the fact that it matched my hair sealed the deal.

So we soundchecked and went for dinner and for once Paris was reasonably on time to meet us for dinner. We had some stuff to discuss over dinner.

We chose a restaurant in Chinatown at random, and the menu actually had some really interesting, yummy looking food on it. Weird system though - you had to write your own order down along with any special instructions on an order pad, and then flag down the waitress, who would enter it into a computer. She came back two minutes later saying they had run out of #11 and #14. Both dumplings. Bummer.

We settled on fried wontons and Paris pulled out mock-ups for the album artwork. We were all seriously impressed, especially since we were not particularly happy with the previous EP 's artwork. This process of having several samples made up for us to consider seems much better than having just the one design to try and make changes on. You can see some of the artist's work here.

We also talked about our plans for the next few months, which boil down to keeping on working on building a live following. Whoa. Is that a sentence? Anyway, making sure we pick the right shows, playing the right venues with the right bands, and making sure the show is the best it can possibly be. And get the album finished and try to find interested parties to finance the release. But realistically, no-one's going to be that interested until we have a really strong live following. And then they will come to us, not the other way round. So that's where the focus has to be.

Two of the boys surprised me by saying they had kicked a bunch more money into the band account so it looks like we will be able to pay the producer, the manager, the visual artist & the drummer in the short term. Phew!

Alright, alright, enough of the business crap. How was the show???


Well... probably depends who you ask. But personally I had a great one and the audience seemed to love it. Several broken guitar strings were problematic for Tom (typically, the one time he didn't bring a spare guitar) but in terms of pacing and energy I reckon we pretty much nailed it. And I could hear my vocals for once!!! Way to go, Stu the sound guy!!

Got another humungous bruise on my leg from the tambourine. If I keep this up I will never wear a bikini again. Seriously considering a steel thigh implant.

The band after us were a bit too cock rock for my liking and surprisingly, too cock rock for my bogan cousin & his mates' liking too! So I spent their set chatting & drinking and realising that - I probably shouldn't drive home. So I made enquiries about leaving my gear at the venue for the night and continued drinking & chatting. This seems to be happening more frequently these days. Perhaps I am becoming a rock star. Or maybe just an alcoholic...

Well the rest of the night is a bit of a blur but I know I met my sister's new man, made friends with some random guys and accompanied them to a different club in the city. Lost them, made friends with a guy with a bunch of metal in his face. Must've talked to him for a long time and I remember dancing and then deciding he was getting a little full on and leaving. Back to the venue where the party was still kicking on. Found Paris who offered to drive me to somewhere I could get a cab from. Drove me four city blocks - about two minutes. Then talked at me for 20 minutes. Oh, I was probably crapping on too, but in my fuzzy memory it feels like she talked at me. Boy problems I think. She then proceeded to hail me a cab from inside her car and I went home. My bedside clock said 6am. Jesus.

Sunday. Hungover. Tired.

Had set alarm for 10am to give Chester his medication. Hit snooze for 25 mins. By the time he got his tablets he was wheezing and panting like an old man. Which he would continue to do for the rest of the day. Good one. Go out and get shitfaced and then almost kill the dog. Nice.

Wanted to go back to bed but needed the loo first. Then needed peanut butter toast. Super crunchy. Ended up on the couch watching Sex & The City. For 12 hours. Except for an interlude where I had to pick up my car from the city. And eat a Bacon Double Cheeseburger Deluxe meal. Regular. Yuck. For some reason I always crave these when hungover. Then regret them immediately. Idiot.

Completely blew off the St Kilda festival - no way I could deal with crowds and more public transport and the wind in my state. It was SO windy!! I thought my bus stop was going to get blown away when I was going to the city!

So I spent the day with Carrie & co feeling fairly sorry for myself. What a sook.

There were a few serious questions going through my head though. Such as: Why do I do this to myself? How was Adam going to feel about me spending a crazy fun night hanging out with multiple random guys until dawn? What happened to all the cash in my purse? How much and what did I actually drink? What actually went on between the hours of midnight and 6am? Why do I always have these crazy nights on my own instead of with Adam? Was my gear/car going to still be there when I went to pick them up? Was Chester going to make it through the night? Who will Carrie end up with: Mr Big, Aiden or neither? (don't tell me!! I haven't seen it yet)...

Some of them were answered in time:

• Adam was fairly ok about it but we talked at length about it and I think we need to have a big crazy night together sometime soon. And live in the same state as each other soon.
  
• I had given a chunk of cash to the sound guy as we hadn't been paid by the venue yet. This will be reimbursed - yay! So I didn't actually spend that much... which means...
• I didn't pay for that many drinks. Still don't know how much I actually drank. I know there was a significant quantity of the house white consumed. It was the nicest house wine I've ever had!! Seriously.
• The car and gear were both fine.
• Chester was heaps better on Monday.
• And yes, I still don't know who she ends up with...
  

Neko Case @ The Prince

Ok, here is the promised review...

Neko Case @ The Prince
Fri 2nd Feb, 2007

by Aussie Rock Chick

Neko Case emerged on stage at the sold out Prince Bandroom without much fanfare, her signature ginger hair in two braids down her back topped with a beret. Sporting a grey t-shirt and black pedal pushers with chuck taylors, she looked casual and comfortable, but funky.

The rest of the band were suited up and they commenced the set with barely a word. They didn’t need an introduction – the music was enough. After three breathtaking opening numbers they paused, Neko taking the opportunity to introduce a key member of her band.

Kelly Hogan was Neko’s backing singer, gorgeously voluptuous in a black suit jacket & skirt, red heels and a hint of red lace at the bosom. Dark, wavy hair swept back in a graceful knot with a few wisps framing her face, but those eyes… oh those eyes… big, dark, moist, dreamy eyes, gazing out into the crowd. From the opening bars, I had a complete crush on Kelly Hogan.

“Ms Hogan is playing the part of the Executive Secretary tonight,” Neko quipped. “And I’m the bicycle messenger. Well, either that or Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. Except these are my real tits!”

Throughout the show, the pair enacted their secretary/courier fantasies, the band joining in at one point with “banjo porn music”. Which was hilarious. I hadn’t expected a comedy act!

But the highlight of the show was certainly not the comedy; we were all there for the music. And they delivered!

The voice was what got you right in the chest. Truly lungs of steel, Neko’s voice has an almost bell-like quality which cuts straight through to your heart. According to my singing teacher friend, her technique is all wrong, but somehow, it works. When I first heard Neko’s voice on record, I thought “now that’s a real voice. I bet she sounds great live.” I was right. When she switches unexpectedly from chest voice to head voice it makes you melt. And with such confidence, control and command of the stage, her voice, and the guitar, she really is a born performer.

Kelly’s backing vocals made the show for me personally though. Being a backing singer myself, I am often disappointed when all those wonderful harmonies on an album don’t translate to the live show. Tonight, not only were there harmonies, but there was a dedicated backing singer with the sweetest, most divine voice, to really do it justice. I got the feeling no-one in the world could have delivered those harmonies so beautifully and blended so well with Neko Case as Kelly Hogan. Wow.

The rhythm section consisted of electric guitar, upright bass and drums, with Neko joining in on her acoustic tenor guitar in most songs.

John Rauhouse, the banjo & lap steel guitar player was also amazing. He had an incredible sense of time and pitch, bending and stretching both liberally – giving the songs movement, colour and feeling. There was certainly plenty of feeling.

Each and every “sad animal song” was infused with that melancholy mixed with hope, leaving you with the bittersweet feeling that even if your heart gets broken a thousand times it would be ok with this music.

Die-hard fans squealed to the opening strains of each and every song, but a special roar was given for Deep Red Bells, John The Baptist, Hold On Hold On and That Teenage Feeling amongst others. I was impressed that songs from her latest album, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, received as strong a reception as old favourites.

Being the final night of the tour, Neko graced us with four encores, and never once did I think “Oh, no, not another one!!”. This was one incredible show and I will certainly be lining up for tickets the next time Neko Case brings her band to town.

Uncanny... no? (sorry couldn't find a pic of Neko with braids to freak you out even more...)

Hair!

WOOOO!!!! I have new hair!! I figured since I've had the same style for a while now, and my sister recently got pretty much the exact same cut, it was time for a change.

And change I did!

Here's a sneaky peek:


















Ok so it's not the most flattering angle (makes my chest looks huge!!) but you get the idea. PINK & PURPLE!!! Yay!!!

Weird since I have been wearing so much red lately... but I just had pink in my head for some reason. The hairdresser assured me it won't clash and I think she's right, it looks ok next to my red singlet - kind of gerbera colours I suppose.


Yesterday I forgot some news... Sandra (v. good friend, recently engaged) asked me to play piano as she walks down the aisle. "Are you sure??" I said, a bit shocked. She has never really seen me play piano, only keyboards in a rock band. But she has faith that I will do a good job and I'm extremely flattered. I'm guessing she didn't read my post about playing at that disastrous funeral recently... thank goodness she's not an internerd!! But that was with 2 days notice, for this one I have 14 months, so it should be enough!

So. Now I don't have to feel left out of the whole thing (several other close friends are bridesmaids) and I don't have to go through the rigmarole of dress fittings, photo shoots, etc. I can do my little 2 min bit and then enjoy the rest of the day with Adam etc. YAY!

Ok, off to St Kilda shortly for a beach party - part of the St Kilda Festival on this weekend. Paris is organising the bands etc for tonight so I want to support her - plus - it's a fabulous day!! What more could a rock chick want... beach, bands, beer (or some less yeasty substitute... mmm vodka...) and the best of them all - SUNSHINE!!!

Happy place! :-)

A new leaf...

When Adam comes back to Melbourne, we are going to look for a new house. One where we can both have our own studio space to work on our passions/hobbies/businesses.

When I get my new studio I think I would like to paint it yellow:

You Should Paint Your Room Yellow

Bright and bold, yellow is truly the color of inspiration. Your yellow room will drive you to think clearly, develop new ideas, and be organized. Yellow is also energizing and very powerful. So don't expect to rest in there!

What Color Should You Paint Your Room?

I feel as if the new year is the start of a new chapter for me. At 28 it's time to pull the finger out and make those dreams come true before it's too late. So the past few weeks have involved quite a bit of soul-searching and list-making (i love lists) .

A list of personal goals was the starting point. The rule was that they had to be goals which didn't rely on anyone (or anything) else to achieve. So "have a #1 record" was out. I came up with 8 or so things that I really want to achieve this year and gave each one a time frame. They are all things that have been floating round my head but none of them really had a deadline or action plan attached. Now, they do. I'm excited!!

It is going to be tough, I am not the most disciplined person, but I think the way I have broken everything down to a daily level of what needs to be done will make it easier to not get distracted. I very much need things in bite-sized chunks. If the task seems too hard or I don't see results I quickly become discouraged.

So... it started this week and so far so good. I have already done more piano practice this week than I probably did in the previous month. Plus guitar and singing.

I have also been to the gym every day. My new gym plan, BTW is to alternate cardio & weight training so I do a little each day rather than everything a few times a week. When I have to do everything it takes too long and by the time I get to the end I'm completely over it and get slack. So this week, for the first time since I started going to the gym four weeks ago, I have been able to do 20 mins of cardio!!! This is a breakthrough for me, previously I did 10 mins and thought I was going to die. I know it sounds pathetic but I haven't exercised regularly for a long time. The trick has been to increase and decrease the resistance on the bike/cross trainer in a saw-tooth pattern:
So you increase the difficulty in 1 min intervals and then after you've hit the hardest one for a minute drop it back to the lowest one for a minute & work your way up again. I know most bikes etc have a workout roughly like this built in but I think I prefer doing it manually because I am in control of it and have to be the one to push myself harder. Anyway it's working well for me so far!!

Another goal has been clearing out clutter - I know D'Jen was talking about doing that recently - must be in the air!! I have started by selling a bunch of books we don't need on Ebay - it's the first time I've been a seller and going ok so far. Quite time-consuming by the time you photograph the books, type up the blurb, etc, but since time is one thing I do have, it's worth it. Next step is to sell some other, trickier, stuff, like excess musical equipment, random slide projectors and pretty much anything else not bolted down. I am a hoarder big time so it's hard to let go of things, but I know I'm going to feel much better when it's done. Why do I need a blow up purple plastic couch under my bed gathering dust??? Why??? So, Ebay + Hard Rubbish Collection and/or Garage Sale = Happiness.

Anyway I will fill you in more about my goals as time goes on but it's an exciting new start!!!

Other things going on...

Adam has been not well. Some sort of infection causing quite a lot of pain. He will probably kill me for telling you. Since he likes to think he's invincible. Please make sure they play something nice at my funeral. No Whitney Houston crap, okay? Anyway, he has to go for an ultra-sound tomorrow. Sounds pretty serious, doesn't it? Hmmm we will see... (It is very hard not being there when your partner is sick. Who's going to hold his hand in the waiting room? Yes, I'm such a girl!)

Chester has been pretty stable, his poor little heart hasn't exploded yet. He had a bad coughing day today, I gave him cough mixture in the morning to soothe it a bit. He left me two presents on Tuesday. Right next to the Sex & the City DVD case*. Good thing it's a rental. Hopefully they won't notice if it smells a bit like dog shit!

*Chester has this weird thing where he has to poo in the most uncomfortable places. Usually not in the house but every now and then if he doesn't get walked he will. But not on the lino in the kitchen or the bathroom, always on in a carpeted room, and very often on a DVD case. I don't know why, something in his training must tell him not to do it on the carpet but there's a crossed wire somewhere. Once he even did it on one of my keyboards. Ew. And when he goes outside, he doesn't just pick a nice patch of grass to poo on. No, he has to pick the spikiest twig or weed to back up to... it must be so uncomfortable!! But every time without fail, he does it. Bizarre little creature, he is. But SO adorable!!!

Just look how freakin' cute he is would you!!!

Chester The Cutest Dog In The Whole Wide World curled up on a beanbag with my dirty clothes... awww...

Hmm what else?

Oh, saw Dr McSleazy going into the gym the other day as I was on my way out. Looking forward to running into him in there.

Band things have been... up and down. Rehearsal was pretty good on Tuesday but took me a while to snap out of the feral mood I got in when I found out the thing I had waited over a week for which was supposed to supply power to my new mic was the wrong thing. It did technically supply power as required, but it also complicated things a whole lot unecessarily. For those in the know I was sold a pre-amp instead of a simple phantom power supply. And to run the mic through the pre-amp on stage would require a DI, or for the pre-amp to be at the mixing desk. Which is not what I wanted. I just need a simple 48v phantom power supply. Today I got a refund and will be buying the thing elsewhere. I must learn you can't rely on people in shops to sell you the right thing. But it's hard when you don't know what you're talking about!! You assume they do...

Almost got in a fight with Paris the other day, she sent an email asking for certain things to be done and I felt like she was starting to delegate her entire job to me and I got over it. There are some things I'm totally happy to do like putting up posters and spending time on myspace, but liaising with our publicist... I don't think that's my job. Same goes for ordering posters from the printer. I'm happy to pick them up and distribute them and all that, but I don't see why I should be doing the negotiating. That's why we have a manager!! On the other hand I understand that she's only one person and working for not much money so she does need to delegate some things. It was just bad timing, there were too many things in the last week that pissed me off just a little bit, and this was the proverbial straw.

Anyway I called her rather than playing email tennis and managed to talk it out in a non-fighty way. I'm not very good at sticking up for myself but I think I got my point across.

Got an email from Tom today to everyone in the band and Paris, asking us individually to name the three songs of our repertoire that we think represent the "present and future direction of the band and why". Interesting question. I, being difficult, gave two answers. One for where I feel we're being "guided" to at the moment, and one for where I'd prefer we were heading. He said "this is not a test, nor is it an expression of what will/won't be on the album, i'm just curious in regards to peoples impression of where we are and where we're going". Hmmmm... so what happens, Tom, when everyone has a different impression of where we are and where we are going? And are you going to share your impression with us??

Sometimes I feel like there is a grand plan in his head and the rest of us only find out each clue as we need it, if that makes sense. So perhaps this question is a part of some bigger picture...

After I sent my response I sent another email saying I'd very much like to hear his response to his own question. Because honestly I really have no idea. Especially as he spent last week mixing album tracks so I don't even know how half of them sound now or which ones he's excited about.

You should see the bruise on my thigh. From tambourining. I was going to give you a picture but decided the internet would probably break if subjected to a close-up shot of my white flabby bruised thigh. Suffice to say the bruise is bigger than my fist. Ouch!!!

Ok - a gold star to you if you got through this one... I swear I should write a novel not a blog, but anyway! Time to turn my computer off and curl up with Chester and an episode of a slightly smelly Sex and the City (I'm up to series 3 by the way. Bring back Big - I miss him!).


Over & out.

Tagged!

Ok there is a giant game of kiss-chasy going on... without the kissing! And now I'm IT!

Five Useless Facts You Probably Don't Know About Me
(tagged by Deb - thanks dear!)

1. I have OCD tendencies
Not the usual ones like being tidy/washing hands/turning lights on and off, but odd ones. I have to have my linen closet perfect. All the towels facing the same way, in colour order etc. I always put my left shoe on first (or if I don't I feel weird). My work desk used to be very tidy with everything at right angles. Adam can probably tell you a few more... The weird thing is that the rest of the time I am actually a fairly messy person!

2. I didn't kiss a boy till I was 17
Sad but true. My friends in year 12 ended up organising a party specifically to pop my kissing cherry. So there I am at this party having a good time and then all of a sudden everyone went inside leaving me standing there with some random guy I'd never met. "This is it!" I told myself, skulled my vodka & raspberry UDL, and went for it.

He was really quite drunk and it was really quite gross. I spent the entire next day feeling ill every time I thought about it! Thank god all kisses aren't like the first one...

3. I was once on a TV gameshow called RocKwiz.
Dave McCormack was my "celebrity". He was a dude. Our team won. Yay us!

4. My p0rn name is Nobby Outlook

5. My p0rn name is Nobby Outlook because my first pet was a sheep called Nobby (yes, really) and my first street was The Outlook, Glen Waverley.
Nobby was cute, he used to follow me round and chew on my clothes. I cried when he was shorn for the first time because I thought they had taken away Nobby and bought back a different lamb - he was so much littler without all that wool!

NB Not an actual photo of Nobby. I don't have any *sniff*. This one's cute though!!

Hmmm who to tag next... oh the pressure!! Must choose someone good...
Ok, how's about Chesty LaRue, Sloth, Meva, I'm Not Craig, and Amanda?

Pick up after yourselves!!

It was a gorgeous walk to and from the gym this morning... except for this:

Rubbish everywhere!!! It always happens after a weekend of fabulous beach weather (which this one was) - dozens of families flock to my little local beach and have a wonderful time, which is great, but I don't think they know what a bin is.

The council has recently stamped the walking track along the beach with big signs telling us to pick up after our dogs - penalty $200. I think. Interestingly, I use this path all the time and have never seen dog shit on it. Pet owners tend to be pretty responsible about these things, and yet tend to cop the most flack.

How about signs on the grassed area saying "Pick up your own shit - penalty $200"??? There certainly needs to be some education especially for the kids, about what happens when their rubbish gets left on the foreshore. But it should be obvious. The photos above of all the junk floating in the water - you can't tell, but I saw a cute little fish swimming round in amongst it. Yuck!!! They shouldn't have to put up with that! Neither should all the birds and other wildlife that makes the area so lovely. Take some responsibility people!!! Maybe kids don't know better but their parents certainly should!

Your help please...

Ok so as part of my quest to be a better rock chick, I have decided to form a duo of sorts with my friend Hayley. Hayley and I studied music together at uni, and she's a great singer/singing teacher. Over the past few years I have had singing lessons with her on and off - which usually translated to singing for half an hour and then catching up on the latest gossip for another two hours. Which was fun but maybe not overly productive.

Now that I am having lessons from Mr Expert, I have decided to get together with Hayley once a week and practise songs that we can perform together. My goal by mid year is to have a repertoire of 12 songs that we can play at performance level. Whether or not we do an actual performance, I need the pressure of a deadline and regular rehearsals to get this happening.

So, we are meeting on Tuesday for the first time, and I want us to pick our first 6 songs to work on. This is where you guys come in. I would love your suggestions, dear bloggers, on what songs could work as an acoustic duet for two girls.

To give you an idea I'm thinking we'll probably do a Neko Case song, and we'll look at other current girl sings like Martha Wainwright, Feist, etc. But I'm very open to suggestion - nothing too cheesy please!! You might even know of a song sung by a guy that could work well sung by girls. Either a duet or something with killer backing harmonies would be idea. The classics or current stuff will all be considered... but bear in mind it has to be able to be performed by 2 girls with acoustic guitars and maybe a piano/tambourine. No cheesy backing tracks thanks!! So "U Can't Touch This" is out I'm afraid!

Ok it's all yours...

Wow.

Oh my god I had to pop in just to tell you how fucking good Neko Case was!!!

Wow!!

I got home and immediately wrote four pages about it, but I need to organise it a bit better so won't post it yet. But she was incredible. And I am completely in love with and/or want to be her backing singer, Kelly Hogan. She was absolutely gorgeous with a stunning voice. But brilliant musicians the lot of them, and Neko's voice did not disappoint. Everything I hoped it to be and then some.

Until I get sorted I give you this...




Unfortunately you don't get to see the rest of the band, but you get the idea. Yes it is a little bit country. But the good kind...

WTF is that??

That, my friends, is my bruised as fuck patella. Evidence of the glamorous rockstar lifestyle I lead. (...oh to have roadies so my amp didn't bang against my kneecaps as I carry it down two flights of stairs and halfway down Chapel st to my car...)

Yes, it has been an interesting week in rock.

Last night's gig at a "trendy" Chapel street club was quite successful, if you exclude the following:
-the guitarist's $107 parking fine
-my bruised kneecaps
-the singer's displeasure at having spent half the day driving round to pick up a bunch of drums and amps, only to find out when we got there that we were supposed to use the other band's gear. our manager should have told us this.
-the time when I hit a nerve in my hand by whacking it with the tambourine in the opening bar of a song, causing pins and needles and numbness to shoot down my hand and arm. The little finger was numb for the entire song. I soldiered on.
-the stage was so small I had to stand virtually on top of the guitarist and have his amp blaring in my ear along with the drums. My left ear is still ringing.
-the stage was so small i had to set up one of my keyboards behind me and had to play it with my back to the audience.

But other than all that, yes, it went well.

The crowd was funny... all 18 year olds, very "cool" in all their leggings, balloon skirts, VERY short shorts & skirts, overall thingys, etc you know what I'm talking about. Especially you, Mars. I wore leggings under my dress to try and fit in and/or avoid flashing my undies at poor unsuspecting punters when i sit down at the piano. I needn't have worried, the stage was so small i couldn't even sit down at the piano. I had to stand up like someone in an actual rock band. Oh the indignity!! But yes lots of Paris Hilton wannabes... which we picked on mercilessly and then got the fuck outta there. As Ric said "I have to go, it's like Schoolies Week in here!!"

Hmm what else?

Oh yes, I had a mini-tanty earlier in the week when I was cc'd into an email to our graphic designer/artist guy. He is sketching some ideas for our album artwork and wanted titles to work with. So I saw this email that said "here are the album and track titles." We have not yet discussed album titles or which tracks will be on it... so of course I baulked at this. I sent a somewhat bitchy email saying I thought we were in a "band". Who decides things together. Turns out the guy just needed any old text to work with so Paris had plucked one of the four title ideas Tom had thrown her way many months ago and put it together with a list of songs just so the guy could have some text to put in the designs. Still, I'm glad I said what I said. Because earlier in the week I was told, not consulted, that two particular songs won't be on the album. I don't have a problem with them not being on there, but I find it hard being told not asked. But because I thought it was a good decision anyway, I let it slide. But I wasn't about to let something as important as the album title slide. I don't want to be a puppet - if we are all contributing equally financially plus I put in a damn lot more time & effort than most, I want to be included on important decisions thanks!!! There that's my rant.

The album is almost almost done... I recorded my last little bits last weekend - tambourine, a few keyboard bits and vocals for one song - and it is being mixed this week. Well, since they spent the first 2 days on one song, I doubt it will be finished this week. Which is typical. These things always drag on WAY longer than they should. We really need to get a deal with some money in it soon so we can get some deadlines happening. At the moment it feels like there's not much urgency as once it's finished we can't afford to get it mastered, let alone promote it anyway. Ho hum money is so boring. I wish it grew on trees.

Oh yeah I had a singing lesson with a new teacher on Tuesday - the one my voice pathologist referred me to. He was really good, spent a whole hour analysing what's going on with my voice and he hit a lot of nails on a lot of heads if you know what I mean. He seems pretty confident that he can make me into a brilliant rock singer yeah yeah. I had to sing a whole song to him, by myself. I don't think I've ever really done that before. It was scary as hell. But certainly highilghted all my weaknesses!! To start with I am going to have lessons with another girl with similar problems to mine, her claim to fame is she came in the top 70 of Australian Idol, I think in 2002 or something. La di da!

Going to see Neko Case tonight at the Prince. Can't wait for that!! Taking my friend Hayley with me, she knows nothing about her but is excited to see a successful female singer up there doing her thing. Hayley is an incredible singer herself, I've probably told you about her before, she does an amazing Eva Cassidy tribute show, but she wants to improve the non-singing aspects of her show. You know, the onstage banter and all that. I think she'll find Neko very inspiring - not sure about her banter, but just that she is quite unique and has an amazing, individual voice and writes great songs as well as interpreting others'. And I have heard some of her recently released live album and she sounds as great live as she does on record.

My knees hurt. I'm going to the beach.