I thought that the gig went well, considering that I had barely picked up an instrument since I finished recording “Hummingbird” in late January. It was great to have Jamie there too---she was able to come up for the weekend to hang out since we hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks. Our favorite moment of the night was this kid who was no more than six that had a Michael Jackson fixation. He walked into the venue with his dad and walked around to every table with a Barbie-sized “Thriller” doll. Jamie was asking him questions about his favorite songs and he enthusiastically said, “All of them! ‘Billie Jean,’ ‘Thriller,’ ‘Can’t Stop Till You Get Enough,’ ‘Beat It.’ All of them!!” We were trying so hard not to laugh. He proceeded to moonwalk. True story.
The following weekend, Jamie and I decided to take a random road trip to Canada. For all of our various adventures around the globe, we both found it odd that Niagara Falls was somewhere we had never been. So after work on Friday, she drove up to Cleveland and a few hours later, we were at our hostel. I thought that it was going to be alright because I booked an HI hostel, but it was pretty dumpy and the price was not as it was listed on hostelworld.com. I sucked it up. Our room had a TV, which was odd and a total unnecessary luxury. We spent our first night channel surfing and talking about random things.
I love Canadian TV. I am really interested in the cultural differences between Americans and Canadians because more often than not, there is a disregard for Canada as a separate nation by many Americans who know no better. Canadian TV is one of those subtle differences. For one, there are at least a half dozen French stations from Quebec, as well as the CBC, CTV, and Much Music. Flipping channels here made me *gasp* enjoy the programming! Sure, there are the crappy reality shows that pollute American airwaves, but the multicultural programming is certainly one of the strongest differences. Jamie noticed it immediately. We woke up to a local program that resembled one of those reality singing shows, but it catered to the Filipino population of Ontario. It was called “Filipino, Eh?” and we thought that it was hysterical. All of the contestants were so terrible that I prefer a cat fight in the middle of the night.
The falls were impressive and don’t need any sort of introduction. The hoards of tourists from around the world detract a bit from its intrinsic beauty, but the Horseshoe Falls are impressive even with all of the oglers. After an hour or two, we shrugged and tried to figure out what to do with the rest of our day. So we decided to randomly drive to Toronto and didn’t regret it at all! I only wish that we stayed at the backpacker’s hostel in downtown Toronto for the second night because we didn’t nearly have as much time there as we wanted. It is a gorgeous place that is super livable. The modern glass skyscrapers coupled with its lakefront views made me instantly fall in love with the place. Its proximity to the States is fascinating in that it functions much differently and feels more multicultural than even New York. I prefer it to New York without a question. The cleanliness and efficiency of the city makes me want to live there. So, how about that work visa? ;)
It was one of the best weekends that I have had in a while. Now I am just trying to figure out where to go next and how I will get to wherever I am going. After several more job interviews and not much luck, I still have the freedom to go off on another (albeit brief) tour. I am aiming for the fall, ideally late September or October. It maybe another solo trip, but I’m not sure at this point. If I have any takers, I would love to go with someone. The dollar is still weak against the currencies of most places that I want to visit, but I am beginning to not care. If not at the end of this year, then hopefully by the beginning on next. My life is in limbo right now because I am waiting for the right time and opportunity to move but have yet to land a job. But I will hopefully be elsewhere by the summer. I have been out of school for exactly one year and am ready for this stasis to end and for my life to begin.
I haven’t written in a while because it has been a blurry month. Since I returned from the tour, it seems like things have really picked up. Work was pretty frantic for a while because of the end of the year slew of news releases that I wrote before commencement (I am a publicist at a local college) and I also played my first show in nearly six months with this band, Debutante, from Pittsburgh, PA. They remind me a lot of Portishead in their approach to stoic electronics and delicate female vocals. This was my second time playing with them and it was great to catch up on our lives. It was nice to see my friend, Cari, as well. She is now a bartender at the venue and is also the most hardcore cyclist that I know. She is gearing up for a North American bike tour this summer. I hope that everything works out for her. We used to work at a bookstore together and bonded over our love for My Bloody Valentine, who are back together and playing their first shows since 1992! The sky has fallen.
I thought that the gig went well, considering that I had barely picked up an instrument since I finished recording “Hummingbird” in late January. It was great to have Jamie there too---she was able to come up for the weekend to hang out since we hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks. Our favorite moment of the night was this kid who was no more than six that had a Michael Jackson fixation. He walked into the venue with his dad and walked around to every table with a Barbie-sized “Thriller” doll. Jamie was asking him questions about his favorite songs and he enthusiastically said, “All of them! ‘Billie Jean,’ ‘Thriller,’ ‘Can’t Stop Till You Get Enough,’ ‘Beat It.’ All of them!!” We were trying so hard not to laugh. He proceeded to moonwalk. True story.
The following weekend, Jamie and I decided to take a random road trip to Canada. For all of our various adventures around the globe, we both found it odd that Niagara Falls was somewhere we had never been. So after work on Friday, she drove up to Cleveland and a few hours later, we were at our hostel. I thought that it was going to be alright because I booked an HI hostel, but it was pretty dumpy and the price was not as it was listed on hostelworld.com. I sucked it up. Our room had a TV, which was odd and a total unnecessary luxury. We spent our first night channel surfing and talking about random things. 
I love Canadian TV. I am really interested in the cultural differences between Americans and Canadians because more often than not, there is a disregard for Canada as a separate nation by many Americans who know no better. Canadian TV is one of those subtle differences. For one, there are at least a half dozen French stations from Quebec, as well as the CBC, CTV, and Much Music. Flipping channels here made me *gasp* enjoy the programming! Sure, there are the crappy reality shows that pollute American airwaves, but the multicultural programming is certainly one of the strongest differences. Jamie noticed it immediately. We woke up to a local program that resembled one of those reality singing shows, but it catered to the Filipino population of Ontario. It was called “Filipino, Eh?” and we thought that it was hysterical. All of the contestants were so terrible that I prefer a cat fight in the middle of the night. 
The falls were impressive and don’t need any sort of introduction. The hoards of tourists from around the world detract a bit from its intrinsic beauty, but the Horseshoe Falls are impressive even with all of the oglers. After an hour or two, we shrugged and tried to figure out what to do with the rest of our day. So we decided to randomly drive to Toronto and didn’t regret it at all! I only wish that we stayed at the backpacker’s hostel in downtown Toronto for the second night because we didn’t nearly have as much time there as we wanted. It is a gorgeous place that is super livable. The modern glass skyscrapers coupled with its lakefront views made me instantly fall in love with the place. Its proximity to the States is fascinating in that it functions much differently and feels more multicultural than even New York. I prefer it to New York without a question. The cleanliness and efficiency of the city makes me want to live there. So, how about that work visa? ;)
It was one of the best weekends that I have had in a while. Now I am just trying to figure out where to go next and how I will get to wherever I am going. After several more job interviews and not much luck, I still have the freedom to go off on another (albeit brief) tour. I am aiming for the fall, ideally late September or October. It maybe another solo trip, but I’m not sure at this point. If I have any takers, I would love to go with someone. The dollar is still weak against the currencies of most places that I want to visit, but I am beginning to not care. If not at the end of this year, then hopefully by the beginning on next. My life is in limbo right now because I am waiting for the right time and opportunity to move but have yet to land a job. But I will hopefully be elsewhere by the summer. I have been out of school for exactly one year and am ready for this stasis to end and for my life to begin.
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