Ok, the reason why I haven't posted recently is because my life has been SO ridiculously crazy (and by 'crazy' I mean, 'like a movie') that it's just not appropriate for my sensitive blogging readers.
Oh sure. Fine. Don't believe me.
But when it's all in my book (coming to a Chapters near you soon), I'll have to direct you back to this post. That is, if I have time what with all the stresses of being so famous that I'll be up against.
What's happened recently is that there has been more snow, I've started working at the Body Shop (have you tried our new Christmas scent yet? Rich Plum - how juicy!...yes..it's sad, I actually say things like this), I've had one Christmas concert to perform in already, it seems I've gained 5 pounds, I've been tobogganing, and have been reading a book titled "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom (it's touching, and a quick read).
I'm dusting out my camera soon and taking some pictures.
Enough with all this plain text!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
...on the cusp of a winter wonderland...
Yesterday evening it was snowing. Not the kind that falls heavily and thickly blankets the streets and trees, but the kind that makes you wonder 'is it snow?' until a swath of it is illuminated by the headlights of an oncoming car, and you realise it is, indeed, the white stuff. It was the type of snow that melts before it hits the ground, that meets windshields and pavement as rain, but which, for a brief moment suspended in air, is water in its crystalline form. Yesterday I sat waiting for 30 minutes in the darkness of a bus shelter, watching the fog my warm breath made as I blew it out in puffs in between the pages of a collection of short stories on West Africa written by Canadian author, Joan Baxter.
When I woke up this morning, my world was coated in an icing-sugar frosting of snow.
I'll I've got to say is it's a good thing I ran my winter coat on the de-wrinkle setting of our dryer yesterday.
I can do snow. I think.
When I woke up this morning, my world was coated in an icing-sugar frosting of snow.
I'll I've got to say is it's a good thing I ran my winter coat on the de-wrinkle setting of our dryer yesterday.
I can do snow. I think.
Monday, November 5, 2007
...in retrospect...
So, sometimes, I take a little while to upload the photos I have on my camera. I don't really have a good reason for this, I think it boils down to simple laziness. It's a bit of an effort to disengage the appropriate cords for my camera from the mess of electronic wires under my desk. What I need is one of those things where you can load a bunch of different electronic cords into and then it dispenses each of them neatly for you. I swear I saw something like that once. Or it could have been a dream. Either way, that's what I need.
At any rate, I've finally uploaded my photos from Halifax, specifically my photos of Nate and Kate's wedding. I've been to a lot of weddings in my time (and they don't seem to be slowing down any. There was a small window at around 25 where I only think a handful of people have tied the knot, but before and since then it's just been a steady stream of wedded bliss), and Nate and Kate's wedding was on of my favourites. Let me explain why:
1. Location - Kate and Nate had their wedding ceremony at the King's College Chapel. King's College is a small liberal arts university that is linked to Dalhousie and which used to be a private Anglican College. The school has a beautiful chapel which is not too big, not too small, but just right for a wedding. The chapel is unique in that the pews all face each other, rather than facing forward towards the altar. This provides a sense of intimacy. You can see the reaction of other guests at the wedding and they can see you. And because the chapel was just the right size, the pews were full of guests, and you don't get that airy and distant feel you can sometimes get in larger sanctuaries.
2. Bridesmaids dresses - I just like burgundy. It's my favourite colour. The bridesmaids dresses were burgundy (or wine-red. I like calling it wine-red), but each dress was individualized. Each bridesmaid was allowed to pick her own dress design from a number of different options, thereby choosing something that was flattering to her own figure and tastes, rather than trying to squeeze into some ill-fitting catalogue dress. Originality reigned here. Plus also, they looked very pretty.
3. The ceremony - Arguably this was my favourite part of the entire wedding. After the processional, and the giving away at the front of the church, one of the minister's gave the message and then following the message, Nate and Kate moved from the front of the church to stand and say their vows in the middle of the isle, conveniently standing between the congregation, heightening that sense of intimacy and also actually letting us see them, as opposed to their backs. Kate and Nate wrote their own vows which included a verse from Ruth that I love and want to include in my own vows...were I ever to one day, in the very distant future actually get married. The verse is as follows: "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16). I've only heard this verse at one other wedding and this was a number of years ago - a couple who were friends with my sister and were married at my home church in TO (which is small, but not quite small enough to get that 'intimate' feeling I was talking about earlier). Their ceremony was beautiful. Well done, you two!
4. Reception - The reception took place in another perfectly sized room at a hotel in downtown Halifax. There was no dinner. Kate and Nate had a dessert reception which included some homemade desserts (specifically apple-based baked goods from the apples that they picked the previous Thursday as part of their pre-wedding program for out-of-town guests and friends. Great planning!). Although there was no dinner, there were still tables we were assigned to and there was a complete evening program. The highlight for me was a short film that Kate's sister had put together (Kate's sister being a film-producer/editor out there in Vancouver...) in which she had interviewed the couple about each other, the upcoming wedding, their relationship and the prospect of being married. Then she weaved their responses together into a fantastic film that was entertainingly funny and also quite emotionally moving. It gave the guests a peek into Kate and Nate's life as a couple and was entirely appropriate. They also had the standard 'once upon a time' photo montage of childhood photographs, but in my opinion this paled slightly to the video made by Rachel.
5. The Cake - This couple didn't have your standard wedding cake. Oh no! They had some sort of cone-shaped cake with mousse-filled treats dipped in chocolate attached. Or some sort or similar concoction. I'm not sure, exactly. I didn't get an up-close-and-personal look at it, since at the time that cake was being distributed, I was doing something else 'important' (see #6). But, I don't really like cake, so tiny mousse-filled balls are quite to my liking and again score some big points in originality. Also, they were delicious.
6. A Cooperative and unquestioning Best Man - I don't really pull too many stunts at weddings. But, since we had about 4 hours between ceremony and reception, a small plan was hatched over our dinner (at the Thai place I love) which involved many balloons, a couple of leis, a box of condoms and the newly weds' car. Use your imagination.
And that, my friends, is how you make a memorable wedding! Dont' worry, the other weddings were good too. I just can't have them all be my favourites.
Someone's gotta make the hard choices.
At any rate, I've finally uploaded my photos from Halifax, specifically my photos of Nate and Kate's wedding. I've been to a lot of weddings in my time (and they don't seem to be slowing down any. There was a small window at around 25 where I only think a handful of people have tied the knot, but before and since then it's just been a steady stream of wedded bliss), and Nate and Kate's wedding was on of my favourites. Let me explain why:
1. Location - Kate and Nate had their wedding ceremony at the King's College Chapel. King's College is a small liberal arts university that is linked to Dalhousie and which used to be a private Anglican College. The school has a beautiful chapel which is not too big, not too small, but just right for a wedding. The chapel is unique in that the pews all face each other, rather than facing forward towards the altar. This provides a sense of intimacy. You can see the reaction of other guests at the wedding and they can see you. And because the chapel was just the right size, the pews were full of guests, and you don't get that airy and distant feel you can sometimes get in larger sanctuaries.
2. Bridesmaids dresses - I just like burgundy. It's my favourite colour. The bridesmaids dresses were burgundy (or wine-red. I like calling it wine-red), but each dress was individualized. Each bridesmaid was allowed to pick her own dress design from a number of different options, thereby choosing something that was flattering to her own figure and tastes, rather than trying to squeeze into some ill-fitting catalogue dress. Originality reigned here. Plus also, they looked very pretty.
3. The ceremony - Arguably this was my favourite part of the entire wedding. After the processional, and the giving away at the front of the church, one of the minister's gave the message and then following the message, Nate and Kate moved from the front of the church to stand and say their vows in the middle of the isle, conveniently standing between the congregation, heightening that sense of intimacy and also actually letting us see them, as opposed to their backs. Kate and Nate wrote their own vows which included a verse from Ruth that I love and want to include in my own vows...were I ever to one day, in the very distant future actually get married. The verse is as follows: "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16). I've only heard this verse at one other wedding and this was a number of years ago - a couple who were friends with my sister and were married at my home church in TO (which is small, but not quite small enough to get that 'intimate' feeling I was talking about earlier). Their ceremony was beautiful. Well done, you two!
4. Reception - The reception took place in another perfectly sized room at a hotel in downtown Halifax. There was no dinner. Kate and Nate had a dessert reception which included some homemade desserts (specifically apple-based baked goods from the apples that they picked the previous Thursday as part of their pre-wedding program for out-of-town guests and friends. Great planning!). Although there was no dinner, there were still tables we were assigned to and there was a complete evening program. The highlight for me was a short film that Kate's sister had put together (Kate's sister being a film-producer/editor out there in Vancouver...) in which she had interviewed the couple about each other, the upcoming wedding, their relationship and the prospect of being married. Then she weaved their responses together into a fantastic film that was entertainingly funny and also quite emotionally moving. It gave the guests a peek into Kate and Nate's life as a couple and was entirely appropriate. They also had the standard 'once upon a time' photo montage of childhood photographs, but in my opinion this paled slightly to the video made by Rachel.
5. The Cake - This couple didn't have your standard wedding cake. Oh no! They had some sort of cone-shaped cake with mousse-filled treats dipped in chocolate attached. Or some sort or similar concoction. I'm not sure, exactly. I didn't get an up-close-and-personal look at it, since at the time that cake was being distributed, I was doing something else 'important' (see #6). But, I don't really like cake, so tiny mousse-filled balls are quite to my liking and again score some big points in originality. Also, they were delicious.
6. A Cooperative and unquestioning Best Man - I don't really pull too many stunts at weddings. But, since we had about 4 hours between ceremony and reception, a small plan was hatched over our dinner (at the Thai place I love) which involved many balloons, a couple of leis, a box of condoms and the newly weds' car. Use your imagination.
And that, my friends, is how you make a memorable wedding! Dont' worry, the other weddings were good too. I just can't have them all be my favourites.
Someone's gotta make the hard choices.
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