mexican mystery plague

holy smokes, folks...the timing of my current cold hitting at the same time this freaky mexican flu made me nervous...not nervous enough to seek medical attention... but nervous, all the same...
lordy, this cold kicked my ass. hard.
so tired.
SOME of my mexico vacation photos are up on my flickr site. you can follow the link in the side bar. i will try to add more.
as for writing up the vacay? i am afraid that will have to wait until such time as i feel human again...don't hold your breath...or, do hold your breath cuz you don't want to catch this...
alrighty then...
i am off for another wicked round of sleep....sweet, sweet sleep

a thousand kisses deep

Where do I start? No opening act. Just Leonard and possibly one of the tightest bands ever...for three and a half hours(minus one short intermission). We were wrung out at the end of the show. I can't imagine how he felt, though he looked dapper and upbeat as he skipped across the stage for his FINAL curtain call(there were four, in all).
The moment he appeared on stage, we were his. The funny thing about it, he was ours, as well. He was gracious and charming and wickedly disarming. He is a master of the show, a slave of the words. He read us like a book and played to us. He was eager that we know and acknowledge his band, his co-conspirators. I like that in a person.
It was GM Place. It felt like(and sounded like) some small venue at the back of an old bar, intimate, friendly...reverant. We leaned in towards the stage collectively. We heard every word. We listened. There were very few people daring to break the silence of the audience while Mr. Cohen spoke or sang. We ate up every word.
His age apparent, he looks healthy, vital, wise and mischevious, and I believe his sound is better now than ever. The poignancy of his music made that much more holy by the years on his face. His stories, so full of the sweet sadness, the bitter ironies...the breadth of love and longing in the face of failure...Beautiful Losers, never cease to move me and now, maybe, ever so much more.
It was like walking wide awake into my dreams. For real.
I could tell you about all his songs and his spoken words....it would take me all night. Basically, he sang everything you would want to hear him sing...pick your own personal favourite Leonard Cohen song, he probably sang it. He sang ALL of my favourite Leonard Cohen songs...and I found some new favourites. Someone asked me the highlight moment of the show for me. I have to say, I didn't have one. The whole thing, beginning to end, was magic...was transcendent...was a particular kind of joy, elation, shortness of breath, fierceness of heart that is usually reserved for the Grand Canyon, the colour blue of a Colorado sky, Monument Valley, aspen groves, Joshua Trees, Mesa Verde, the curve of the cheek of my friend's son...it was like the breath of the world.
Yeah, it really was that good.

the comedown may be hell.........

this month...
home from the Junos and meeting Heidi and Jethro, a week of work, and packing and repacking and then again....
off to mexico for eight glorious days...
home...back to work for a week
off to Vacouver to visit Emily, Adam and Gwen....
to see the Transcendental Event of Leonard Cohen live...Transendental Event...
i am home now...
trying to get to the grocery store but the car battery is dead....
so much to get done....
work tomorrow again.
will try to catch up this week
pictures of mexico
stories
Mr. Cohen....
wish me luck with the car....

Junos....

Did everyone read Heidi's account of the Junos???? Good...because she does write a wicked review, doesn't she? And I don't really need to add too much to her words....but I got some photos..... The show started with a big bang and fire. A little bit startling, actually .
AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee......QUICK! Call the fire department.... Chad Kroeger is on fire!!! Very retro...Michael Jackson-y...hey, you know what? Never mind, don't call.

This guy was the host while the cameras were on...very wise-cracking, sometimes harsh...but usually dead-on, too. Heidi likes him.

But me? I always love the underdog. In this case, Trevor Boris. I adore him. As, apparently, do a lot of 14 year old girls. He, himself, adores Michael Buble. Apparently, he hasn't heard of Harry Connick, Jr. He was the entertainment/host during "commercial breaks." That's right. You heard me. The entire show shut down for commercial breaks. Weird.

Those folks sitting in front of Hedley in their Fantasy Island tuxes? They're my neighbours from up the road a bit. Yup. True. I was going to ask them for a ride home after. I mean they're parents now. Surely they're not partying up at the after Juno parties, are they?

Sigh. kd lang and Buffy Sainte Marie. Can't say enough, so why try?

Hedley and Nickelboob....dang, Nickelbob....er, Nickel-plated.....um....Nickelback? Little did I know how close I was sitting to them...I would have bought some nachos with EXTRA CHEESE to toss at them. Feist was robbed. Robbed, I tell ya! Do you think in 25 years, when Nickelback is inducted into the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame that they will look like....

this? Hard to imagine that this guy ever fit into those pants. Rock and Roll, baybee.

Trevor, Diana and some other dude taking photos during "commercial time."

Sam Roberts Band. I likey.

Sarah.... ethereal as ever.

So, Heidi told you all about City and Colour with Gord Downie of the The-Tragically-Hip, right? Scrumptious. If I was to stalk anyone at the Junos(you know, since Daniel Lanois wasn't there and Martin Sexton isn't Canadian), it would be this guy.

Hey, that dude made it onstage....with Kathleen Edwards. Maybe he's her uncle or something. He must have been nervous to be up there because he forgot the words.... isn't that cute?

And the finale.....ka-pow!!!!!!

Hawksley Workman and the Great Big Sea. Hell yeah!.

Whew. Had enough yet? I've just relived it all and I'm exhausted. Later.