Congratulations to Ron Sexsmith

Hi Everyone. I am staying at this cool hotel in Bern tonight and they have free internet! However it is a German keyboard and it just took me 20 minutes to find the exclamation point!

So to those of you who are not aware, my fave rave Ron sexsmith won Songwriter of the Year at the Juno Awards.....http://www.ronsexsmith.com/home.html Congrats Ron! I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more.

We spent the last 3 days in Murren and it was very beautiful but I am nursing very sore muscles after a 15km hike. So we are off tomorrow to Mesigny, France and then back to Lausanne for 4 nights then we will make our way back to Zürich and then home on the 18th! We have experienced all types of weather in the last few days....Sun, rain and lots of snow! I thought we had left all that behind in Montréal.

Well that is all for now..not sure I will have another chance to write before I come home but I will try! I am getting desperate for a musical instrument to play.

nite....xoxoxo

Just in case you weren't aware....Your bag of peanuts may contain.....

...traces of peanuts or other nuts. :-)
This bag o' salted nuts was delivered to us by a Montréal IGA.
I'm off....no updates for a while. Sniff* Sniff*. See ya next month! Quick it's 11:11 make a wish!
XOXOXO

DVD's, Switzerland and the not so hot disappearance of a Brad(sus)

Sooooooooo, I'm back in Montreal. I'm starting to feel a little better now. I hope to be all better by the time I leave for Switzerland on Tuesday. The DVD shoot was amazing....26 piece orchestra, two guitarists, two keyboard players (one was me), a bassist extraordinaire, three backup singers, James Marlin of course and another pianist who was just signed to the AMI Entertainment label. Check the photo....I'm the singing keyboardist all the way to the right on the platform....


Elle came over for a visit but I have yet to see Brad. Rumor has it he has been in the company of a beautiful girl these last few days. You go boy. More soon. XOXOXOXO

DVD Shoot

Well, just got back to the studio after meeting at venue for the DVD shoot. Was VERY VERY cool setup....the stage and lighting are beautifully done. The background is made to look like stars in the night sky with trees on the sides. Back tomorrow to shoot all day. My segment is first so I will be happy to get it all over with so I can sit back and watch the rest. Should be fun. I am finally getting over the cold that has plagued me since I arrived. We will try to get as much as possible done on the new tune at the studio on Wednesday before I fly out Thursday! I'll be glad to get back home and see everyone!

I've Arrived~

Hi There. I arrived yesterday at the studio in one or two pieces.....Had a nice ride from the airport with my five rave Kraig. Dale Williams was here recording and we had some laughs and then we went out to dinner at the Indian Trails where they were having live music. People we going crazy singing and dancing..the room was bouncing like mad! Played the new song assignment for Dan and he liked it a lot so I am happy. Nose to the grindstone tomorrow!

I forgot my camera so no pics while I am here unless I can borrow one from someone. I still need to get a dress for the DVD shoot.....brought one along but it has green in it and we are against a green screen.....so it will not work. Not that I am weeping about having to get a new dress. :-) More soon~

XOXOXOXO

Rebecca Zellar and Chris Riter

Wow. I found a photo of my friend Chris Riter today. His partner Rebecca Zellar directed a steller cast in the GreyZelda prodution of Kafka's Metamorphasis at the Stage Left Theatre in Chicago. I'm very glad to know that they are doing well and still acting/directing!

http://www.greyzelda.com/members.html

Earthquake at 1:20 AM!

So Cris and I were hanging out playing a network RPG game together late late night and early this morning. We had just closed down when bwam! The floor of my studio in the basement started shaking and my desk was moving back and forth. It lasted about 15 seconds. Very scary. This is the 2nd eathquake we've felt since living here in Montreal. The last one hit upstate NY....this one was thankfully out in the Quebec boonies...so there have been no reports of damage or injuries. Was a 5.4 magnitude.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usvhan.htm

The Frames!!!!!

Elle and I went to see the Frames last night at La Tulipe. She is friends with Glen Hansard as they used to Busk together when she lived in Dublin. I was lucky enough to accompany her to the show at the Outremont Theatre last year as well when they opened for Damien Rice. This year they were headliners...playing to a packed house with guys and girls alike screaming out confessions of true love. They did not disappoint with old and new favorites ....as well as a surprise Black Sabbath song on the 1st. encore. I have a feeling that next year will be even bigger for them as the buzz seems to be growing exponentially. The only disappointment this year was the absence of violinist Colm Mac Con Iomaire who has taken a few weeks off to be with his new baby. Congrats Colm!


Montreal Gazette Article


photo by N. Hannibal
Glen at the Outremont Theatre last year



L. and Elle, Partners in Crime!

I'm the Geek of the Week

Check me out on this PodCast Slashdot Review. (those of you who are not geeky enough will never hold on long enough to hear the song if you make it to the "5 dual-core Opterons" I will be impressed)

Wake Up and Lose You on PodCast Slashdot Review

Stardust

Any fan of Tolkien's novels from The Hobbit to the The Return of the King...will tell you that there is some kind of sadness involved in reading his work because Tolkien is no longer with us to write. I finished a Neil Gaiman book today called Stardust. This novel gives me that same feeling yet also a joy that Neil Gaiman is still very much alive and writing. What a brilliant novel! It continually impresses me how he can pack a whole new world into so few pages. As one of my English professors once said..."Your essay should be as the length of a lady's skirt; Long enough to cover the subject, yet short enough to hold interest. Well, Neil Gaiman can hold my interest (or my skirt) anytime.

BlueBird North Tour

Thursday evening my friend Bradsus and I (aka Brad, Brad-Lee, or Rad or BadBrad , Bradster, BigBrad-but not Drab....these are his words mind you) went to see the Bluebird North Tour at the Cabaret. It was positively magical. It was one of the best shows I've seen....please check out the performers websites and order some CD's damn it! Great music needs your support. Elle....we missed you at the show! Please get well soon!

Blair Packham
Ron Sexsmith
Marc Dery
Joel Plaskett
Ginette

Past Monday

The Physical, Dishes, Kids and a Vial of Urine

I spent the first part of the morning getting a yearly physical which consisted of some poking and prodding and then standing around waiting for a nurse for 45 minutes with a vial of urine in my pocket.

I took off from there to go exchange some broken dishes from Sears which they had reordered for me (45 mins by bus and metro). When I got there of course the dishes had mistakenly been sent to Ottawa...because Ottawa is where all bad broken dishes from Sears go to die. I bought a new blue fuzzy hat and wore it home to make myself feel better.

I was thinking when I was waiting at the clinic this morning and there were all these children running around screaming, yelling and rolling around on the floor, how non-maternal I am. My sister looks at this kind of child behavior and thinks it's cute...she would be laughing along with the children. It makes my uncomfortable and I start wondering why the parents don't seem to care that Johnny has just bashed his sister's head into the wall and is now shoving pebbles up his nose. As I was waiting in the corridor this same little boy started climbing on some boxes that were precariously stacked. I told him not to climb them because he would get hurt and he started crying and ran to tell him mother that the giant mean lady holding the vial of pee-pee told him no. The mother did one of those too-close brush by maneuvers on her way past and gave me a dirty look. I guess the next time I should just let Darwinism have its way?

I've heard all the child-bearing propaganda over the years....phrases such as "It's different when they are your own" and "You'll understand once you have children" blah blah blah. It's just not for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a child hater and I don't eat babies...but whatever that instinct that people have that tells them having children is the next logical step in their lives didn't happen to me. That window never opened. Perhaps it's like some of the other windows in my brain; painted shut.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Where it all Began

Kevin Quickle had this picture on his website. Ah.....the old days of the band Lobelia!


C'etait Corey Bicanich (guitar), Takashi Chiba Matsuhashi (bass), Moi (guitar and vocals), et Kevin Quickle (drummer extraordinaire)

Wow, we had so much fun in those days. Playing in dives where the floor was sticky and drinking bad beer out of plastic cups.....my Yum, yum, Yum that I used to play through my pickup....the vibrator that we used on the strings of our guitars to make noise during "I'm"....all the lore attached to the name Lobelia that people would share with us after shows and to all the great bands that we played with.....Sandra Black, Lester James and the White Flames, The Frampton Brothers, Granny's 12 Gauge, Sugarrush, Moon.....and so many others...I miss you guys!!!!!

Chris Quickle

A few days ago was the 2nd anniversary of my friend Chris Quickle's passing from cancer. I thought it was important to share his story with you all. He was such a truly kind and gentle person...it's very sad that he had to endure so much suffering in his life. However, because of the sacrifices that he made we were all able to spend a little more time with him.

I met Chris as he was the younger brother to my friend and drummer Kevin. I was quite a bit older than Chris but he was such a cool guy. He was a Chef and a musician. He played guitar in a band called Moon Root. The band was pretty ahead of it's time actually. They wrote songs about the mystery machine, and Chewbacca, and even a little ditty about Kevin called "Vacuum Cleaner Salesman" in which they set a vacuum on stage and let it run throughout the song. Kevin designed and maintains a site you can visit here---------------->www.moonroot.com

Chris and I went to the prom together. I was 3 years older than him so you can imagine the rumours about Chris's "older" date. :-) We looked a very handsome pair. I wish I could find the photo as I haven't seen it since I moved last.

Anyway, his best friend from High School has asked his asked the school to set up a Memorial Scholorship in his name and I wanted to post his narrative here along with a recipe that Chris's Mom sent to us all for his special Potato Soup. Sleep well Christopher Quickle...we all miss you so.



CHRISTOPHER BRIAN QUICKLE
MEMORIAL TRIBUTE

WE THE FAMILY, CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS OF CHRISTOPHER BRIAN QUICKLE WISH TO DEDICATE THIS SCHOLARSHIP IN MEMORY OF A WONDERFUL YOUNG MAN WHOM WE ALL LOVED AND CHERISHED.
CHRIS WAS A 1993 GRADUATE OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL WHO LOST A FIVE YEAR BATTLE WITH CANCER AT THE AGE OF 27. IN THE SHORT SPAN OF HIS LIFETIME, HE TOUCHED THE LIVES OF SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AND IS TRULY AN INSPIRATION FOR ALL WHO KNEW
HIM.

CHRISTOPHER WAS NOT THE TYPICAL TEENAGE BOY. HE WAS A VERY LARGE ROBUST INDIVIDUAL WHO FACED A LOT OF CRITICISM AND CHALLENGES BECAUSE OF HIS SIZE; HOWEVER, HE TOOK IT ALL IN STRIDE AND WAS A VERY FUN-LOVING, HELPFUL PERSON WHO WENT OUT OF HIS WAY FOR OTHERS.

IN HIGH SCHOOL, CHRIS WAS ALWAYS SILENTLY IN THE BACKGROUND READY TO DO WHATEVER IT TOOK TO GET THE JOB DONE. HE WAS AN ABOVE-AVERAGE STUDENT IN THE SPANISH CLUB, KEY CLUB, HONOR ROLL, NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY AND REPRESENTATIVE TO BOYS STATE. HE WAS HONORED BY GOVERNOR GASTON CAPERTON AT AN AWARDS CEREMONY FOR WRITING THE STATE’S WINNING ESSAY FOR THE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS QUINCENTENARY CELEBRATION. HIS LOVE FOR MUSIC FOUND HIM IN THE BAND AND PLAYING GUITAR WITH FELLOW STUDENTS IN THEIR OWN PRIVATE BAND WHICH CONTINUED EVEN AFTER HIGH
SCHOOL.

CHRIS’ ZEST FOR LIFE AND MOVING FOREWARD IN HIS CAREER WAS UNQUENCHABLE. HE CHOSE TO RELINQUISH HIS LAST FREE SUMMER VACATION AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER GRADUATION,
STARTED AS A FULL TIME STUDENT AT THE PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTE OF CULINARY ARTS IN PITTSBURGH, PA AT THE TENDER AGE OF 17. HE DEMONSTRATED EXTREME COURAGE TO GO IT ALONE IN A LARGE CONGESTED CITY, STARTING CLASSES AT 6 AM AND OBTAINING AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN CULINARY SKILLS WITHIN A 2 YEAR PERIOD. DURING THE COURSE OF HIS STUDIES, HE ENDURED MANY HARDSHIPS. THE TWO STUDENTS THAT HE SHARED AN APARTMENT WITH DESTROYED A LOT OF HIS POSSESSIONS AND FINALLY DROPPED OUT LEAVING HIM THE BURDEN OF ALL EXPENSES . LIKEWISE, HE CONTRACTED INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS AND WAS FORCED TO
DELAY HIS GRADUATION BY THREE MONTHS.

UPON GRADUATION, CHRIS ACCEPTED A JOB AT NEMACOLIN WOODLANDS RESORT IN THE MOUNTAINS OF PENNSYLVANIA NEAR UNIONTOWN. HE COOKED IN THREE OF THE RESORT’S FIVE
RESTAURANTS BUT HIS GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS BECOMING A CHEF AT THE FAMOUS “GOLDEN TROUT” RESTAURANT AT THE RESORT. IT WAS NOT AS GLORIOUS AS IT SOUNDED BECAUSE THE WORK WAS EXTREMELY INTENSE. IT WAS A GREAT CHALLENGE FOR
SOMEONE AS LARGE AS CHRIS TO BE ON HIS FEET CONSTANTLY IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT WORKING EVERY WEEKEND, HOLIDAY AND SUMMER VACATION SINCE THESE ARE PEAK HOURS CATERING TO THE PUBLIC.

TWO YEARS AFTER CHRIS BEGAN WORKING AS A CHEF, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKINS LYMPHOMA AND UNDERWENT CHEMOTHERAPHY FOR WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CURE FROM HIS CANCER. HE WAS IN REMISSION FOR 13 MONTHS WHEN IT RETURNED AND HE
RECEIVED A SECOND ROUND OF TREATMENT. AGAIN, CHRIS WAS HOPEFUL THAT HE HAD BEATEN THE ODDS AND HE WOULD HAVE A CURE. THE ENTIRE TIME THAT HE WAS UNDERGOING CHEMO, CHRIS WORKED PART TIME AND WAS DEPENDANT ON HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO HELP HIM THROUGH THIS HORRIFIC ORDEAL. HE TRAVELED FROM UNIONTOWN TO PITTSBURGH TWICE A WEEK TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL AND WAS VERY ILL DURING ALL OF THIS. HE RARELY COMPLAINED.

CHRIS AGAIN WAS NOT CURED AND ALTOGETHER RECEIVED THREE MORE ROUNDS OF TREATMENT CONSISTING OF CHEMO, HIS OWN STEM CELL TRANSPLANT AND RADIATION. HE DID ALL THIS BECAUSE HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY DIDN’T WANT HIM TO GIVE UP. WHEN HE COULD
NO LONGERWORK AS A CHEF, HE RECORDED VIDEOS, BURNED CD’S AND TRADED THEM WITH DOZENS OF INTERNET FRIENDS ALL OVERT HE COUNTRY. HE GAVE OF HIS TIME AND TALENTS TO ANYONE WHO NEEDED HELP ; NEVER EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN.

CHRISTOPHER PASSED AWAY ACCEPTING GOD’S WILL AND HIS ONLY REQUEST WAS THAT WE NOT MOURN FOR HIM. HE WAS SO ORGANIZED AND WELL LIKED THAT HE HAD FRIENDS, CLASSMATES AND CO-WORKERS AS FAR AWAY AS NEW JERSEY COME TO HIS FUNERAL.

IT IS WITH MUCH PRIDE THAT WE HONOR CHRIS’ LIFE BY HELPING ANOTHER YOUNG PERSON TO DEMONSTRATE THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY. WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE RECIPIENT OF THIS SCHOLARSHIP WILL FULLFILL SOME OF THEIR OWN ASPIRATIONS AND GOALS JUST AS CHRISTOPHER HAD ACCOMPLISHED IN THE SHORT TIME HE WAS WITH US.

Chris’ Potato Soup
Chop finely one onion and 4 or 5 stalks of celery. Place them in a stock pot with a small amount of cooking oil and sauté the celery and onions. Then put in a generous dash ( 2 or 3 0z. ) of bourbon, cooking sherry or white wine and evaporate the alcohol off.
Next you cut up 5 or 6 peeled large potatoes ( make them potato salad size) and place in the stock pot with the celery and onions. Add one large can ( 32 oz.) of chicken broth and finish covering veggies with water. Place 2 or 3 bay leaves in the mixture, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the potatoes are done.
When potatoes are cooked and done, strain off or remove the bay leaves from the broth and take half of the cooked potatoes and place them in a blender. While you are blending half the potatoes, take the stock pot off the fire so that the mixture can cool down a bit. Once you have blended half the potatoes, place them back into the stock pot with the other cooked potatoes and add either a pint of heavy cream or a half quart of half and half milk to the mixture. If the broth is on the fire at a raging boil it will cause the broth to chunk up. That is why it needs to be hot but not scalding when adding the cream.
Once this is done, bring the soup back up to a full boil and season again to taste. ( ie; salt and pepper if needed).
Chop up fresh dill and add to broth as you serve each bowl. Some people do not like dill so only add to each bowl as needed. SOUP IS DONE ENJOY!

Here You Go Brad

Consider this blog updated. Now leave me alone! :-)

To Vegas and Beyond

Just got back from Las Vegas. Kind of a kitschy kind of place to spend a holiday season according to some....but I go there every year and find it to be great fun! Stayed at the Orleans and Cris went with me this time....really good food at the hotel and we had a great room. Brad asked me to gamble $5 for him on slots and we won $130 on his $5...pretty exciting stuff. My parents are great, as fun as ever and my mum made me all these new scarves and hats for the cold Canadian winters. I'll add in some pics later.

Went to Hoover Dam and experienced the entire spectrum of human personality. We had a tour guide that must have come from the Billy Shatner School of Tour Guidism, a old disgruntled ex-military guy who told us to take our pictures and get the hell out before we became a security problem....ands lastly a cool guy who told jokes about having to walk through two states on the tour. While the damn dam was impressive; I found the first glimpse you get of Lake Mead to be the most beautiful. All that gorgeous water amidst the backdrop of the desert mountains was amazing.

The trip back was difficult. I'm sure some of you heard about Comair having a computer foul-up that cancelled/delayed a bunch of flights. Ours was delayed and did not allow us enough time to make our connection. We had to stay in Cincinnati which I have dubbed The Customer Service Capitol of the World. We were treated like a total inconvenience by practically every service person there. My first truly bad experience in Ohio. DELTA AIRLINES!!! YOU SUCK!!!!! Oh yeah, and Cris almost got beat up by some rednecks that accused him of stealing 35 cents out of their bin at the security checkpoint.

The earthquake/tsunamis that took place in Asia on Sunday are just so hard to believe. Please donate some money to aid the people affected by this terrible tradgedy. click here to choose and organization and donate Also you can donate to the red cross through Amazon.com....if you already have an account with them it's as easy as 123. Amazon.com American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund It's up to us to help bring this world together. The disaster in Asia is everyone's responsibility so please give as much as you can.
All the best in 2005 and beyond.

XOXOXOX

The Power of a Plastic Ring~

Check out this ad for plastic rings. It's silly and weird and I like it.

The Carrotbox

Can it be????? It's Smuly T!

Check out Shmuly's birthday pic...



Shmuly is looking for a new leading lady in his life since the bitter breakup with Elisha. His wit and vivacity (not to mention good looks) are legendary. Act now! (Elle, I can hear you singing showtunes from here) :-)

Head, and shoulders, knees and toes....knees and toes. Head, and shoulders, knees and toes....knees and toe wo wo wo woes. Eyes and ears, a mouth and a nossssssssse, Head, and shoulders, knees and toes....knees and tooooooooooooowes.