Randomly Evacuated!

So, Kelly and were sitting around the apartment after work today when we both start coughing/choking. We start to have trouble breathing and we get itchy! We decide to leave the apartment and go to Subway across the street. On my way out the door, I phone my land lord and be like: "...so ya... we can't breath and we're coughing and itchy... so ya... see ya later...".

At subway, Kelly and I were still coughing and pounding water back. After a while, I look out the window and see EMS, police and fire trucks! We wander back over to see our entire floor- and a couple others- all sitting outside near the ambulance.

GET THIS: Everyone on our floor was coughing and vomiting and could not breath... and it turned out to be a lady at the end of the hallway cooking peppers SO HOT that it essentially pepper sprayed the whole floor. She had evacuated herself to her balcony... but failed to TELL ANYONE ELSE! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!

We had to stay out for a couple hours while they air the floor off. I'm still itchy and Kelly's still coughing, but it's mostly gone.

HOW FUNNY!???!!!

Naramata

Me waving ridiculously with a ridiculous smile on my face, Gino yawning, stunning vineyard next door to our rental house, Gino trying to swim (even though we later realized many pugs don't swim! oops- sorry Gin!), my foot near a duck to illustrate how many french fries people must feed them!

Naramata

So, I'm on vacation with my sister and Mom. (I always capitalize "Mom"- even when it's not a perfect noun... because, seriously, my Mom is ALWAYS a perfect noun.) I know that come September, my year starts to get busy, so this getaway is the calm before the storm. I really am not one for road trips, but this journey was stunning.

Orchards and vineyard, beaches, mountains and lake. Grapes, peaches squash, pumpkins, cucs, zucs- even walnuts and asian pears! All I ever see growing is wheat and stinky canola! Haha! Every province has it's beauty, but this is breathtaking. We are renting a log home right amongst the vineyards and a KM from the lake.

I've been taking hour long showers because it's so cool to stick my hear out the window and see green fields and lake while I'm naked! Heehee...

Gino, our chug, is having a blast sniffing all the new smells here. He didn't make a peep for the 12 hour car ride. What a good boy! Kelly got stung by a wasp in Golden! Boo!

Really, I'm just rambling... but it's just so great here.

I'll through some pictures up when I get home.

J

Not music related... but funny!

I just need to recount this story:

My sister and I just returned from Walmart at midnight. Now- I know this is pretty late for a Walmart excursion... but I really wanted Skittles and some Juicy Gels. (Cravings happen!)

I don't know how many you you facebookers have been to an all night Wally World, but you witness some funny stuff. I've been there at 3 AM to get cold medicine and witnessed a 5 person family- complete with little kids- purchase a 52 inch tv and couch. I've witnessed a girl fall and start bleeding on the floor while waiting to pay. Multiple used tampons floating in a flooding toilet.

Tonight, however, we stood behind a stuttering middle-aged man with a strange accent who bird crap and feathers stuck to his clothing. He was making a giant pile of stuff he didn't want on the floor by the cashier which included A stool, 2 Barbies, a book, various toys and odd building supplies like hinges. Keep in mind this in MIDNIGHT. Stuff he's actually buying include: a paintball gun, light switch covers, 6 pepsis, a Miley Cyrus poster and 3 DIFFERENT WHELLS for a bed. Like 3 different styles/sizes. Not 4- but 3. He was price check as he went. By the 15 minute mark, I got the chuckles and Kelly just got pissed! He then proceeded to mumble a joke to the cashier about checking his ID because you need to be over 18 to buy the paintball gun. (He was balding, with bifocals and wearing a leather bomber jacket circa 1989.) Finally she finished processing his $300 order of random, random shit and he fumbles in his pocket and then proceeds to explode the entire contents of his wallet on the floor and in so nervous, for some reason, that he can't pick up any of his credit cards. Usually I'd help a dude out... but seriously- this guy was creepy and overtly nervous. Once he does pick his life up- he can't afford the stuff that made it past the 3 inspections he did. He starts riffling through the bags and pulling out items and asking the cashier what she could do about the price of certain things. After the VERY patient casher tells him that there is nothing she can do, he just stand there for a bit... thinking or something. He just walks away still mumbling- something about a bank machine.

I was crying at the hilarity of this poor dude by now. MIDNIGHT. Paint ball gun. 3. DIFFERENT. Bed Wheel thingys.

A quality Walmart excursion.

Piano Busking Downtown Calgary

What a neat experience I had today! Cantos Music Foundation invited me to to play their Busker Piano- OUTSIDE ON STEPHEN AVE! How cool to play a piano on the street?!? Super cool. I had a lovely crowd for some time. It was pretty difficult to sing without amplification- but it was so great to feel a breeze in my hair while I played a real piano.

Really, though, the most thought provoking part of my day began with a homeless man. This dude come up to me and just starts weeping. He then brings his wife over. She has no teeth and she soon starts crying to. I sang "Man in the Mirror" for them and they shouted their praises as I sang about the hungry and the homeless. The woman offered to share her "mat" at the homeless shelter with me anytime. The man told me that I mad his day and that he was leaving Calgary tomorrow because his father is on his death bed. On a Jet plane. So I dug through my music and found the tabs for "Leaving on a Jet Plane". I played it fir them and they sang along and absolute howled with emotion. Both of them hugged me and thanked me profusely. Then, THE HOMELESS MAN PUT A TOONIE IN MY TIP JAR. Surreal. The next thing I knew, they were gone.

My soul needed this day.

MJ

I'd love to get myself in the shower... if I could just tear myself away from the MJ memorial. Fascination. Horribly sad. Monumental. A strange and lovely celebration.

Oh my- there are about to play a clip from his new tour.

Jenn

FINE!

I'm finally on Twitter. I resisted as long as possible... but with the crazy day yesterday (where which MJ bit the dust), I wanted to stay updated by CNN... and well, Oprah! I am so sad about MJ. Obviously everyone is. I know I didn't KNOW know him, but I still feel quite sad about it. I watched him so closely as a kid and still believe in his humanitarianism and MUZAK!

The world is a strange place some days.

J

Gobble Gobble

I just had a lovely jaunt to Kananaskis to play at the Alberta Turkey Association's meeting. Met some lovely people and ate a lot of lovely turkey.  Thank you turkey peeps for all of the support and encouragement!

J

So cool!

Yay! This is my first blog entry! I'm sure you are looking at the photo and wondering what the heck it is- well- it's super funny/cool/amazing.

Now, while I am embarrassed to post a photo that shows my computer desk with a ton of dust and what looks like a blond hair or two strewn about, I am still excited to show you! I dropped this rubber band  didn't bother to pick it up. A few days later, I went looking for a rubber band and remembered I had dropped one that landed where I tuck my feet when I'm typing. Lo and behold, I found the elastic like this!!! Please tell me that you recognize this as a perfectly fancy treble clef- just like the tattoo on my hip. Amazing, no?!?! So I photographed it so I could show it to you all! I love it!

I'll write again soon!

Jenn