The Cat Came Back (And Now I Want To Hate Him)

The cat.

Grrrrr.

The cat is an indoor cat.

Occasionally I put the leash (that he came with) on him and let him snoop around my stoop. I'm nice that way. Part of the reason he is an indoor cat is that he doesn't have front claws and there are some large territorial tom cats in my neighbourhood. I fear he would get the snot beat out of him.

This morning while trying to leave the apartment with my laundry (which is a feat you'll understand if you've ever been to my place), the cat decided he too should exit. I hoped he would just stay on the stoop and I could put my laundry down, scoop him up and toss him inside.

Nay, nay.

Of course he wouldn't make things easy. He quickly made his way down the first flight of stairs, then onto the roof, then on to the roof of the garage.

There he is, perched, happy, delighted and filling me with angst.

I got some food to try and lure him back up the stairs.

As you can see, his level of care was not altered. And so he decided to keep exploring. He explored by walking on narrow things above the ground, leaving me to envision the conversation between me and his parents and just how he broke his hip.

Awesome. In his high wire exploring he found a friend. How neat.

Eventually he got down, explored one neighbour's yard, went under another neighbour's deck, ran around in the alley, got caught by me, fought me, won, ran into the neighbour's yard again, started eating the neighbour's plants and then got caught by me again.

He was very happy that I caught him. So happy in fact that he decided to give a little love nibble, right through my glove.

How delightful.

So now he is in my apartment (hopefully thinking about what he did) and I am out doing laundry (thinking about what he did). Somebody is going to lose their leashed stoop snooping privileges for a while.

A Pigment of My Imagination

This is what should happen when I decide to paint (anything - picture, wall, chair, etc)

1. Envision everything that needs to happen from start to finish.
2. Repeat step 1.
3. Write down everything that needs to happen from start to finish.
4. Submit written steps to multiple peers for review.
5. Receive reviews.
6. Review reviews.
7. Make any adjustments to steps.
8. Re-submit written steps with adjustments.
9. Review the re-reviews.
10. Acquire everything needed.
11. Double check that everything is in place.
12. Begin painting process one step at a time, careful checking the peer reviewed list before moving on to the next step.

What actually happens when I decide to paint:

1. Thought - "Ooooh paint, I got this! So, so simple. I totally know how to do this!"
2. Ruin project.
3. Attempt to salvage project by using "creative" idea.
4. Further ruin project.
5. Attempt to salvage project with another creative brainstorm.
6. Further ruin project.
7. Stop before things could possibly get any worse.
8. Hate universe.
9. Promise to think things all the way through for next project.
10. Repeat steps 1-9.

Something You're Going To Want To Do

On November the 1st and 8th, I'm singing with Chorus London in some pretty fantastic concerts.

The concerts are basically the same actually - or at least the music being sung is the same - Orff's Carmina Burana - you can see the first/last movement here - and Ruth Watson Henderson's Voices of Earth. Both concerts will have Chorus London and the Amadeus Choir and a children's choir, along with orchestra.

On Novemeber 1 the concert happens in London at Centennial Hall. On Novermber 8 the concert happens in Toronto at York Minster Park Baptist Church.

A few of the differences will be: the childrens choirs will be different for each city, and I believe the pianists will be different as well. We were told a few weeks ago that Ruth Watson Henderson herself will be one of the pianists for the Toronto date.

I think these will be very hot concerts - 200 voices, amazing music, orchestra, hmmm yes. I'd never heard all of Carmina Burana before I entered the ensemble and it is one crazy b!tch goddess of a piece of music - the rhythm is crazy at times, it's sung in medieval Latin and German. There are even some yiddish words thrown in for good measure. The translations of the lyrics are pretty crazy too. Some highlights:

"If the world were all mine from the sea up to the Rhine, this I would willingly forgo to have the queen of England lie in my arms."

"Some gamble, some drink, some live without discretion. From those who spend their time in gambling, some are stripped bare, some win clothes, some are dressed in sacks; there no-one fears death, but for the wine they throw dice."

"May God grant, may the gods grant, what I have set myself to do, and that is, to unlock the bonds of her virginity."

Voices of Earth draws its lyrics from the Canticles of the Sun and poetry by Archibald Lampman. One of my favourite parts of singing it is the way the two choirs are written. There are many times when one choir is kind of singing the back up vox for the other choir. Sometimes this means that the lyrics get a little skewed. At one point our choir gets to sing "oo-ooooooo grass." And at another "a pool, a pooool, cool." Or another favourite "with joy for Captain fancy at the helm." I want to meet Capt. Fancy.

The V.O.E (as I've taken to calling it in my head because I don't have anyone to talk to such choral matters about) is something you'll want to take in for a variety of reasons

1. it's Canadian - the composer and the poetry (Archie L is from Morpeth, ON)
2. it's rarely performed due to the whole 2 choir, plus childrens choir, plus orchestra/double piano thing
3. you can't just go out and buy a cd of it - there are no commercial recordings available
4. it was written in 1991 - which means you can't be sick of it yet
5. it is a big challenge to sing - from the unfamiliarity with it, to the fact that it changes time signatures about 1,538 times, or the insane rhythms, or maybe the sharp text painting
   

Basically you need to come to this concert and you have 2 chances to do it. I've linked both choir's websites in the post - and you can get tickets from the 'home' choir for each date. I have a small mitt full of tickets for the London date. Let me know if you want one/some/all/a punch in the face.

Oh, yeah, siiiiigh and one last reason why you may want to come to this concert.... double sigh... this, cough, will... ugh... be (I can do this), my first, siiiiiiiiiigh, concert as... deep breath... a soprano (of the 2nd variety). There, I said it. So you'd better come.

(ps - if you call for tix in London, mention my name - i'm required to sell a certain number)