My Auntie (through marriage) Jenny came to visit me last week. We have'nt seen each other for quite a few years. It was for no other reason that I have been living over in Europe since 1993 and she is a busy busy lady. Well anyway, my grandmother passed away several months ago and Jenny was at the funeral, and I am guessing that she spoke with my mom and they got the idea that since Jenny was going to be in Den Haag anyway that we should try and hook up. I am glad we did.
She has led an amazing life, up until around 1989 she was a professor at U-Vic, written many books and then she took early retirement and decided to study art. Which she does now full time as a living. But a side from all of that, she is interesting, smart and really fun to be around. Always with something to talk about, and always great stories to tell..
Besides she has also introduced me to a fellow Canadian who she knows here in Holland, and that is always nice when you can have someone around who does understand that toque's are not just for cold weather.
Not much else is new around here, spend the last couple of weeks running around like mad. working on the apartment, garden (balcony) and getting sunburnt yesterday.. no kidding!
So now, am trying to get motivated to do work, listening to Blue Skies over Bad Lands and other lovely Matthew Good shuffle on my ipod. Peace~!
Monday, April 25, 2005
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Porcupine Tree
Sunday we went to Amsterdam to see Wes play with the Porkies, before hand we had dinner and got caught up on the life of John Wesley since we had last spoke. He is very excited about the new album and I am pretty sure it will be really something special. After all I got to hear a few of the new songs about 17 times during the tour and I liked them each time I heard them. And Wagamammas is a fantastic place to eat in Amsterdam to.
I ran into Martin and Marc, old colleagues from my Amazon days, they looked like they might be prepared for the show! But I needed to make my way up to the front to take some photos for Wes like he asked. Michiel figured that it was a better idea to send me up cause the male majority audience would more likely move aside if I asked than if he did.. He was not wrong!
I must admit that although the band are uber talented they are not really my kind of music, but I did enjoy at least 3/4 of what I heard very much and with the exception when they played some of the old stuff it got just a little too proggy for my taste.
But I think it got some great shots, pity I was stuck on one side of the stage and could not really move. I decided then I would go to Tilburg the next day cause they have a great venue not only for music but to take photos in the pit. We stuck it out for most of the show at the Paradiso, but left a little early so that I could go through them and edit some up for Wes.
Of course the next day with little sleep and having worked for most of it we headed off to Tilburg. We got stuck in a little traffic.. What else in this country? And got there in good time. Then we called Henk to see if he wanted to join us. Wes had some other plans but popped his head in to say hi (he is such a popular guy). Henk joined us for a few drinks and dinner but not the show.
We got in the venue and were about to go take our spots after the support act finished, and what do you know? No photo pit.. which really sucked. so we just had to push our way to stage right and hope for the best. I have not checked out the photos yet aside from the LCD screen but some seem pretty cool.
So that was about it, we left a little early because of the whole "working 9 to 5" thing and that was that.
I ran into Martin and Marc, old colleagues from my Amazon days, they looked like they might be prepared for the show! But I needed to make my way up to the front to take some photos for Wes like he asked. Michiel figured that it was a better idea to send me up cause the male majority audience would more likely move aside if I asked than if he did.. He was not wrong!
I must admit that although the band are uber talented they are not really my kind of music, but I did enjoy at least 3/4 of what I heard very much and with the exception when they played some of the old stuff it got just a little too proggy for my taste.
But I think it got some great shots, pity I was stuck on one side of the stage and could not really move. I decided then I would go to Tilburg the next day cause they have a great venue not only for music but to take photos in the pit. We stuck it out for most of the show at the Paradiso, but left a little early so that I could go through them and edit some up for Wes.
Of course the next day with little sleep and having worked for most of it we headed off to Tilburg. We got stuck in a little traffic.. What else in this country? And got there in good time. Then we called Henk to see if he wanted to join us. Wes had some other plans but popped his head in to say hi (he is such a popular guy). Henk joined us for a few drinks and dinner but not the show.
We got in the venue and were about to go take our spots after the support act finished, and what do you know? No photo pit.. which really sucked. so we just had to push our way to stage right and hope for the best. I have not checked out the photos yet aside from the LCD screen but some seem pretty cool.
So that was about it, we left a little early because of the whole "working 9 to 5" thing and that was that.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Bad Apples
Last night I went with Megan to a Amnesty party in The Hague . It is my first one, and was quite interesting. It's no wonder really there is one in the Hague because of the ICTY , Europol, NATO etc etc. It is a fabulously multi-culti city that I live in. Anyway, the party was very quite slow to begin with and picked up as people started coming in later, and what a diverse bunch there was. Anyway it was to raise money for the crisis in Chechnya I hope they did alright. I find it pretty neat that in such a small city they can have a Dutch and English chapter for Amnesty International.
Other than that I have been hoarding the computer this morning from Michiel cause I have been backing up my laptop, making cd's for Wes and Jason who I'll see tonight in Amsterdam. And editing photos from the weekend for Richard B and Kid G to begin with cause there are just so many marillion ones, the task kinda scares me.
Oh and I was checking out some of my favorite sites, and read about the Arts County Fair concert in Vancouver. What the hell is wrong with you people who were doing the offensive things as well as standing by and watching it happen? How would you like to be hit in the head with a hard metal object, shoe, phone etc etc. I just don't get it. Would you walk on by someone in the street who was being beaten up or hurt? Would you let someone beat up another you care about? If you would, then may I suggest that you get some help now! Really sickens me to hear about such things. I am pretty dam sure your ticket stub said nothing about having permission to take pot shots at the artists on the bill, let alone be abusive. And here I was proud to be Canadian, to come from a people who are more or less peaceful and mindful of others, and to have that spoiled today by a few bad apples. Shame on you!
Anyway enough of that, I am off to see Wes tonight play with Porcupine Tree at the Paradiso in Amsterdam and I am fairly certain that it will be a peaceful however LOUD gig. Their FoH guy is the loudest mixer I've ever heard. But it will be great to see Wes again after so long, and Jason as well even though I caught up with him at the Butlins weekend recently.
Other than that I have been hoarding the computer this morning from Michiel cause I have been backing up my laptop, making cd's for Wes and Jason who I'll see tonight in Amsterdam. And editing photos from the weekend for Richard B and Kid G to begin with cause there are just so many marillion ones, the task kinda scares me.
Oh and I was checking out some of my favorite sites, and read about the Arts County Fair concert in Vancouver. What the hell is wrong with you people who were doing the offensive things as well as standing by and watching it happen? How would you like to be hit in the head with a hard metal object, shoe, phone etc etc. I just don't get it. Would you walk on by someone in the street who was being beaten up or hurt? Would you let someone beat up another you care about? If you would, then may I suggest that you get some help now! Really sickens me to hear about such things. I am pretty dam sure your ticket stub said nothing about having permission to take pot shots at the artists on the bill, let alone be abusive. And here I was proud to be Canadian, to come from a people who are more or less peaceful and mindful of others, and to have that spoiled today by a few bad apples. Shame on you!
Anyway enough of that, I am off to see Wes tonight play with Porcupine Tree at the Paradiso in Amsterdam and I am fairly certain that it will be a peaceful however LOUD gig. Their FoH guy is the loudest mixer I've ever heard. But it will be great to see Wes again after so long, and Jason as well even though I caught up with him at the Butlins weekend recently.
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