Herein lay the random ramblings of a small town Canadian girl and her feline PA. We have a crunchy Canadian exterior with a deliciously girly, gooey centre. Things could get weird. You have been warned.
I'd picked this week's selection a while back, planning it would accompany my most joyous wishes for the young lady who inspired the choice, and had planned to include a lot of photos and memories to mark the occasion. Unfortunately, the process of gathering them up turned out to still be a little too ouchie, and she knows why. Thank you, my sweet Belle, for our private talks. I'll plan better next year because there's so much about you that inspires me. I'm very sorry people suck. You deserve so much better. From the first time we locked eyes I knew that you, my darling baby girl, are an old soul with a spirit that thirsts to soar. Don't ever diminish your own shine or settle and above all remember what I said in the voicemail: you're making good moves, keep going!
This Song of the Week selection is for my brave, determined, fierce, kind, loving, smart little queen of dancing, Kitty. This has been a tough semester, but you do tough things all the time, and I know you'll do it again. Please take my word for it as the person who has known you the longest: your sparkle may have been misplaced in the noise, but it's never lost. It's always been a part of achingly beautiful you, both inside and out. Don't ever listen to those who underestimate you because of the pretty wrapping. They were never worth your energy. It's easy for some to write off the vivacious girl, but you are The Whole Package, and you always have been. Your quiet strength continually inspires me and it's a joy to watch as you strive to grow and challenge yourself for more. There's never been anyone who deserves it as much as you. Believe it. Reach out and take it, little star.
Now that Reading Week is over, you're halfway through this bitch, and you got this! Set your sights, wiggle your butt, and fire that ball down the lane. You knew how to do it then and you still do.
The highs are to be celebrated, the lows are learning opportunities, the dancing is for joy and the sparkle is in your soul. How you navigate your journey is what makes me proud of the woman my little girl has grown into. Really look into her face and remember there are more of these in your near future, no matter how you get there. I love you, beyond...xox
When Kitty recently played this week's Song of the Week selection, we both sang away with defiant ownership and I knew it would end up here soon. She probably doesn't remember a time when she didn't know the lyrics as well as The Alphabet Song or The Lord's Prayer. When the song was released in March 1987 I was in the process of escaping an abusive marriage and starting life anew for our little family of four. After dizzying, uncertain, and mostly terrifying months that involved living in a women and children's shelter, a lot of police visits and court dates, we'd finally moved into a small townhouse of our own. We didn't have much but it was an enormous improvement and safety tops a fancy home or furnishings. One of the first things I bought was a used boom box. I'd scout thrift stores for used CDs and friends gifted me new releases to build my library. Our home would be filled with music.
This song was my anthem of empowerment. Playing constantly, it reinforced my growing acceptance of all the parts of my personality that had been beaten down. The only time a neighbour had to knock on my door to tell me to turn my music down was probably because they were sick of hearing me belting this out on a never-ending loop. Though a little embarrassed, I kept turning to it for inspiration and to help fight the fear that would take years to come to terms with. While I taught my children to sing 'witch,' I was learning who I was deep down, where my strength fortified me, and it was a daily discovery. Fear and self-doubt riddled me but there's a survivor spirit in my DNA. In retrospect I did myself and my loved ones a huge disservice by not taking enough time to continue that journey.
As spring and summer rolled on, I'd begun casually seeing someone and I thought he might be the stronger man. It turns out he wasn't. He took more from me than the one who left me concussed with bruises and bitemarks. What he, Mister Nice Guy, taught me is that a wolf in sheep's clothing excels at slowly and insidiously chipping away at your core, feasting on everything down to the marrow. If you're not careful, they'll drain you until you're of no further use, walking away to use the next person to enrich themselves, leaving you a bloody bag of bones as the hyenas nip at your heels.
Nobody was ever worth losing my right to be treated with fairness and respect, even though I am an imperfect and complex work-in-progress. He once commented early in our relationship that it was amazing I wasn't a man-hater after what I'd been through. While I still don't generalize, the damage he did managed to accomplish what the first guy didn't: there will never again be another man I can trust enough to share my life with in anything other than a superficial way. Most days that's a good thing (because they tend to be a lot of bother) but there are times when what he stole from me gets me pissed off all over again. That's when I pull out this week's song, Bitch by Meredith Brooks, turn it up loud, sing out the feels and embrace it all.
Brooks described the song as being about self-acceptance, referring to the word "bitch" as a term of endearment.Brooks intended to reclaim the word, removing the pejorative connotations surrounding it.She further explained the meaning of the song:
I'm not "an angry young girl" - or whatever the phrase of the moment is - but I'm human. It's not to excuse ranting and raving, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having "a mood". I don't think we all need to keep the mask on all the time.
From Wiki: "The song was performed as part of Brooks' opening set on The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon Tour.Brooks left the stage early after the audience began booing and throwing bottles, batteries, and coins at her.In response, Brooks cited the crowd's behavior as misogynistic and illustrative of the dangers of mob mentality."
Allow Anscrming to assure you of this: the Bitch I am today would get up on stage with her to throw the projectiles back at them. When life hands you lemons...work on your aim. #SorryNotSorry
The resurgence in popularity of this Song of the Week selection pleases me on so many levels. For people my age, who were there the first time around and continue to love all of Kate Bush's work, it's a kick to watch how new generations have fallen in love with her thanks to Stranger Things and become new fans. It's so funny when they claim to have discovered her. Sure, TikTokkers. You, the best generation, are the first. Those of us known as Boomers and Gen X appreciate the LOLz for days. Welcome to the club anyway.
From the Stranger Things debut, Mancub and I bonded over the series and eagerly anticipate binge watching each new season. Those actors have sure grown and so has my young viewing partner. Thanks to moives and shows on Netflix and other streaming sites, and what he sees on Youtube and TikTok, he has a new appreciation of 'classic' music. We're both amused that songs I listened to when I wasn't much older than he is now are popular with him and his friends. It's especially cool when he realizes some of them have the longevity of three and four generations of fans.
This year Stranger Things added a new level of fan torture by splitting Season Four into two parts. Somehow that plan had escaped my notice so, after waiting patiently for almost three years and finally enjoying each episode, it was a bit of an abrupt shock to find out we'd have to wait until July 1st to see the second half. Oh, what delicious torture! As we excitedly talked over each new reveal in the plot, dissected tiny details and gamed out theories of where things were possibly going, in the way only fanatics can do, we giggled and gave props to Netflix for the well played decision...until we realized he would be with his dad the week the second half would be released. Though both a little bummed at that, we made a pact to wait the extra week after it was released until we were back at his mom's again to watch it together. The little boy who had roped me into letting him watch the sci-fi fantasy hit would officially be a teenager by then.
Having come from the Before Times, when we had to wait a week for each new episode of our favourite shows on cable and endure the summer hiatus, I remember how much it sucked. He is of the generation that's always had instant streaming available so he had no concept of that entertainment agony. It sort of surprised me that he kept to our bargain because even (supposedly) mature Moi, who understands delayed gratification, could barely stop myself from watching it that first week of July. But as we prepared our snacks, blankets and put on the seriously comfy clothes to finally settle in and enjoy whatever the Duffer Brothers, cast and crew had in store for us, I watched for signs he knew what was going to happen, but there were none. The boy has honour.
We stayed up insanely late and watched the whole thing in one sitting, thoroughly enjoying the second part as much as anticipated, and our theories have expanded into the sublimely ridiculous. We're bigger fans than ever. Once again back in patiently waiting for the next season mode, we now we have a Spotify playlist we both enjoy that instantly calls back our shared love of, and experiences watching, our strange thing. I'll include the link after the video of Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush -- Song of the Week 16OCT22.
In my excitement about Thanksgiving, my birthday, and the surprise of McHeaty's visit, I completely forgot to update the Song of the Week. So I'm throwing out this gem, which was my favourite song when I was a kid. Weird little kid in weird times and she was totally not singing about what little me thought she was. 😉
"Once is a coincidence and twice is suspicious. Three times means I know what you've done and will adjust my behaviour accordingly. You should probably do the same."
There are few things that make my skin crawl as much as being lied to, especially in regards to the value of trust and the expectation of privacy. I lean towards giving people the benefit of the doubt and a polite demeanor has often been mistaken for blind stupidity. In reality, that wasn't far off. Too many times I've allowed myself to be a doormat and not knowing when to draw the line has cost me and people around me dearly in the past. Younger me had harsh lessons to learn...about keeping emotions in check, patience, and quietly gathering receipts. Who knew KimmyK could teach this old gal valuable lessons? Say what you want about her (and I have) but that girl is dumb like a fox.
Was there any chewier gossip than the Kardashian-Swift-ThatAsshole drama a few years back? Two brilliant business women getting messy in public over some goof; reputations at stake, fans on all sides somehow raising their fist in the air while pointing both hands in different directions, and snakes on the attack. There wasn't even sex involved! The ghosts of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor must have made a party out of watching it unfold. Imagine them fabulously dressed, tossing back their drinks and throwing their perfectly-coiffed heads back in laughter at how absurd it all is. That is a movie I would pay to watch. Instead of old Hollywood glamour, we have reality tabloid stars and music borne from the depths of artist's souls. Which leads me to the Song of the Week - 2Oct22. Enjoy!
Music moves me in so many ways and I lean towards what's been popular throughout my life, but every now and then I'll throw in something eclectic or as my kids used to call what their grandmother liked to listen to, "Omi Music." I'll change up ones that pop into my head in a Song of the Week each Sunday, which can be seen in the bar above in Weekly Song, where I'll write a bit about why I chose each selection. Please bear in mind, this is my goal and obviously, I am still working on this. Think of this as a helpful traffic sign: Bumps Ahead. Expect Delays. You can also search the archive using the tags SotW or sotw. Please use the email form on the right to send me a kick in the butt if you notice it's lacking. I promise, I'll appreciate it greatly. Talk amongst yourselves and enjoy some of my most loved tunes.
It's hard to describe how beloved The Tragically Hip is in Canada. Long before the band announced on May 24, 2016 that frontman Gord Downiehad been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, the nation held the band from Kingston in our hearts. The lyrics of their songs spoke to us, and of us, our unique moments in history that could have faded into obscurity. The apex of cool, their music resonated with what we imagine being a Canuck is at our core. Sung around campfires, blasted out of car windows and ice-fishing huts, even those who didn't consider themselves 'fans' recognized these were our boys, and either joined in enthusiastically or tapped a bashful foot. The Hip became synonymous with good times, despite some of the melancholy nature hidden within the lyrics, and their unique way of storytelling with superb songs helped them gain a following that bridged generations and seasons. That the devastating news came on the first long weekend of the summer seemed especially cruel.
It's hard to imagine a Canadian today who won't always remember how they felt when Downie and the band went forward with the Man Machine Poem Tour in summer 2016. Tears flowed, hearts broke and we were humbled by the courage of this man's gift to us. Gord Downie was more than a singer-songwriter musician; he was an activist, writer and incredible human being. The final concert in Kingston, Ontario was held on August 20th and the CBC broadcast and streamed it live. Cities and towns across the country set up venues for people to gather and watch together. In a large park in my little town, friends and I watched on the screens and sang along to every word with strangers who, like us, were both celebrating and mourning with 11.7 million other people. Unforgettable.
As is the documentary about the tour, Long Time Running, available on Youtube, Apple TV and Google Play. The profile manages to be moving yet matter-of-fact about this last public journey of an extraordinary man and the high school friends he made music with. It's well worth viewing. The song Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)was released in February 1993 and it was much loved for more than two decades before The Hip last played it together. That takes nothing away from how poignant it seems in retrospect, especially when the song is about living with the consequences of our actions. Though his loss is tragic indeed, it was a life well-lived in 53 years and his gifts continue beyond the time he spent on Earth. The Tragically Hip announced Gord Downie's death on their website on October 18, 2017:
Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by.
Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss ... on the lips. Gord said he had lived many lives. As a musician, he lived "the life" for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. No one.
We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord's bandmates, management team, friends and fans. Thank you for all the help and support over the past two years.
Thank you everyone for all the respect, admiration and love you have given Gord throughout the years – those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.
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