the mother of all concerts...

This last weekend, the B-rad and i made our great excursion to the land of Cows. The reason was to spend some time with Roger Waters. If you don't know Roger Waters, you probably have heard some of his music.... here's a few gems.... "Money", "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"....or how about "Another Brick in the Wall" and if you haven't heard of Pink Floyd you must be living under a rock! The concert was, honestly, one of the best experiences of my life. i can hardly even put into words how amazing the show was, from the very beginning to the end. it was like, you never wanted the night to end, ever!

The stadium was packed, you didn't need to partake in any kind of wacky tabacky....there was enough in the air to incapacitate an average touring funk band.

The show was mind blowing from the very beginning. With the realistic, larger than life, we all thought it was real backdrop. There was no opening band, only Roger. Just Roger and his amazing band. The first half of the show was phenomenal - sort of a Pink Floyd's Greatest hits type of show. He opened the show with "In the Flesh Part II" and i seriously thought that B-rad's mind was going to EXPLODE... he was instantly on his feet screaming!! The screen was dark, and the spotlight was directly on Roger - What a fab way to start the show... "So ya...Thought ya...might like to.....Go to the Show!". I have goosbumps, just remembering it! There were lights and pyrotechnics...

Then they played "Mother" and there were amazing visuals, which you can somewhat see here in this pic.

More songs included were "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" which had 'amazing' visuals of the cosmos...it's not exactly the same without David Gilmour - who's guitar solos make me all giddy and warm and fuzzy inside...but it was still very awesome. Luckily the band's guitar player had the good mind to learn David Gilmour's solos to a FREAKIN' TEE!!



and also "Wish You Were Here" which was a very nice tribute to Syd Barrett - One of the founding members of Pink Floyd who essentially went mad and was committed into an asylum. This is also what the album "The Wall" was based on.


One of the highlights was one of Roger's new songs. He tells the story of when he was a teen travelling with some mates in Lebanon, and the car breaks down. He decides to Hitchhike back to London and is picked up by a man and taken in for the night. The song was accompanied by a comic following the lyrics of the song. He is very Anti-War, and Anti-Bush. as you can see by some of the lyrics here:

after an amazing first set which seemed to fly by, Roger informed the screaming crowds that they would be taking a fifteen minute break, then they'd be back to play "Dark Side of the Moon".

The concert, seriously, was so fucking wicked!! And the music was loud, but not so loud that we had to scream to talk to each other... Roger thought of everything....everything.....

Not only were the music and visuals and lights and explosions awesome, we got to have a 15 minute break to go pee, get more Stadium Beer, and discuss the past set and how fucking awesome it was and how we never want it to end, ever!! And also to smell some more of the skunk-like air...ahem. yes. smell.

Dark Side of the Moon, oh my Lord.... i mean, how cool is it that i was able to be present for a live performance of this entire ALBUM????!!?!?!?!?!?!?. Here's what wikipedia has to say about the Dark Side if you've never really had a chance to take a real good listen:

The Dark Side of the Moon deals conceptually with the pressures of modern life that can drive normal human beings to insanity: materialism, the increased pace of life and travel, the encroachment of old age and death, and the inhumanities of society and armed conflict. These themes are not just delivered by words but are suggested with the sounds of the album. For example, the sound of an airplane crash in the track "On the Run" can represent a fear of flight (Wright suggested this could bring fear of death for some). "Time" discusses how quickly life can and will slip by those who are unaware of it and uses actual alarm bells to wake the listener at the beginning of the track. "The Great Gig in the Sky," which had a working title of "The Mortality Sequence," comments on the nature of death as a sad state of being, evidenced by the sounds of the screaming woman throughout this generally instrumental track. The lyrics and sound effects of "Money" flippantly endorse greed for ironic effect, and states that it is "the root of all evil today." "Us and Them" deals with interpersonal conflict, the insanity of warfare and xenophobia. The meaning of "Any Colour You Like" is not as clear as the other songs, but it is thought to represent the fear of taking risks when making choices—the song title came from an answer frequently given by a studio technician to questions put to him: "You can have it any colour you like," which was a reference to Henry Ford's (apocryphal) description of the Model T: "You can have it any color you like, as long as it's black." "Brain Damage" reaches out to the outsiders ("lunatics") who may be the only people that recognise society's faults. It also is about their former member Syd Barrett, who was forced to leave the band due to mental illness. Finally, "Eclipse" describes the true essence of a person through the impact they have left on others.

Okay, so now to give you a quick blurby recap after reading all of that.... So, possibly one of the best parts of the Dark Side was the look on Roger's face as he played. He didn't stop smiling, not for one second!! And LORDY...the woman who belted out "The Great Gig in the Sky" made my head and heart simultaneously implode, i was bawling like a fucking baby. Earlier that day, i had made a comment to B-rad and our friends that i hoped that whoever learned the song does it justice, and how if i was ever to perform it, i would learn every last nuance of Clare Torry's original version.... and the woman who sang it at the concert!?!?!?!???? MUTHAFUCKINPERFECT IN EVERY WAYYYY!!!! soooo soooo soooo amazing. so amazing. and when the prism came down from the ceiling with the iconic light and rainbow....bathing us all in the rainbow... we knew it was coming to a close.... and it was exciting and sad at the same time. and when the show was over, i have to say that i have never...ever....experienced such amazing thundering applause and energy! I felt like it would never end... i thought that the experience of the TOOL concert was amazing, this was that to the Nth Power!!

When they finally came back in for the encore, they started out with "Vera" from the wall and led into "Bring the Boys Back Home" where they showed images of all the troops in Iraq/Afghanistan... with anti-war imagery. When you remember that Roger Water's father was killed in the Second World War. They closed out the concert with "Comfortably Numb", and again, i know i've said it a million times, but it was so sooo good. So good.

This was the best musical 3 hour Experience of my entire life, and i know that every single show i see now will pale in comparison to this show.

so awesome

all the photos in this post were, unfortunately, not taken by me. They were very thankfully Borrowed from various Flickr members. Just so's ya know. :D

i am still reliving this concert over and over in my mind. Luckily, for us, the entire tour is being recorded for a Dark Side of the Moon 2007 World Tour DVD....which we will purchase the moment it is released... i can already hardly wait.

and one of the best parts about this entire concert, was seeing how much my husband B-rad loved each and every moment. Roger Waters is his personal Lord and Saviour.... he was like a kid in some kind of a candy store.

This Blog is rated PG for Pure Genius

I found this site thanks to little miss Schmutzie and given that her blog, which is full of descriptive tellings of her lady parts, was rated G, you can imagine how surprised i was to discover that my little blog was rated PG.

This is apparently on account of the fact that i used the word "hell" twice, and "punch" once!

OH MY!!

I found it amusing, also, that they ignored how often i say the word "fuck". i mean, i know it's gotta be at least seven - well eight now, cuz i've tagged at least seven posts wherein i use the effword.

but just to be on the safe side.... fuck fucked fucking fuckers fuckaround fuckoff fuckaduck fuckeroo!!

:D

oh, and penis, cock, cunt, bitch, whore, slut, balls, asswipe, genitals.

so there.
fuckers.

Laura vs. Mom

[laura's cell phone rings at work]
"hello?"
"Hi Laura, it's mom"
"hi."
"Do you know where...... that Teefen...groond...RosenART Mennonite church is in that town?"
"..........what?"
"that Teefen...groond...RosenART Mennonite church...in...."
"...Warman?"
"no"
"...Osler?"
"No...what's that town called, the one with that school in it?"
"What school"
"That school. y'know, the college?"
"uhm, Rosthern?"
"Rosthern? No. that school, that one? oh shoot, where is it? what's that town before Rosthern?"
"Hague?"
"No"
"Where are you?"
"uhm, past Osler. I think, i'm on the highway."
"Ok mom? what are you talking about?"
"well, i'm trying to find this church, and i think it's in that town."
"Which school?"
"it's a Christian school, i know it's out here."
"VCA?"
"Maybe"
"VCA - Valley Christian Academy?"
"YES! Where is that?"
"That's in Osler, mom."
"Osler, where's Osler?"
"MOM! Osler is where my Wedding Reception was!?! Where B-rad used to live"
"What? no, not VCA....shoot....what's the name of that town, my brain has turned completely to mush. You're friend went there."
"RJC?"
"YES! Where is that!?!"
"RJC, Mom, Rosthern Junior College is in Rosthern."
"Yeah! Rosthern! Where is that, is it before Hague?"
"What are you doing?"
"i'm going to a funeral, and it's at the...Teefen...groond...RosenART Mennonite church"
"Does it say where in Rosthern it is?"
"no, it doesn't say Rosthern."
"what do the instructions say?"
"They say Take the highway north and turn left at HGW 312, drive 12 miles and turn left. Those aren't very good instructions at all!"
"Okay, mom, where's the last town you passed?"
"Uhm, i don't remember."
BIG SIGH. [mom continues to babble about something or other]
"okay,...Mom? MOM! MOOOM! STOP TALKING! STOP! STOP TALKING AND LISTEN, MOM! Mom?"
"Okay, i'm listening"
"Okay, mom, i'm going to look up this church on Google and find out where it is, okay?"
"What? I can barely hear you!"
"you can barely hear me because...you called me at work and i don't want to shout!!"
"okay, yes, look it up, that's a great idea"
..."Now, how do i spell this Church's name?"
"okay, it's P-I-E..."
"P??"
"No! T as in THOMAS... I...E as in Edward...S...E...
"S?"
"No, F as in Fred.... E...N as in Nancy....G as in, uhm, Garry....R...U..N..D....R...O..S as in SAM...E...N as in Nancy.....O...R..T....Mennonite Church."
"okay, i'm looking it up....it's in Laird."
"Where?"
"Laird?"
"what?"
"Laird! LAIRD!!!"
"Y'know, i can't believe how bad the reception is on the cell phone, and i'm with Sasktel and -"
"MOM! STOP TALKING! IT'S IN LAIRD! LAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRD!!!"
"Laird?"
"YES! LAIRD!"
..."Where's Laird?"
"Okay, hold on mom, i'm going to look up directions on Google...okay, i'm looking here, and it looks like probably your best bet is turning left on Highway 312, and taking that a few km. Then there'll probably be a sign that says 'Laird' and you can follow that in."
"okay, where's Highway 312?"
"uhm, okay, have you passed Wakaw yet?"
"Wakaw?? No! i'm not near close to Wakaw, it can't be further than Wakaw, can it?"
"MOM!, okay, are you listening?"
"Yes, YES, i'm listening, sorry."
"you are turning into your mother, and you are driving me crazy!!"
"yes, i know, and you have no idea how terrifying that is to me!"
"i have some idea."
"what?"
"Nothing! Mom, nothing... Okay, so as you're coming up to Wakaw, there'll probably be a big sign that says something like: THIS WAY TO WAKAW LAKE! If you see that sign, DON'T go to Wakaw, go the other direction, West. THAT'S highway 312"
"312? Yes! That's what the directions say! they say, turn left on 312 and drive 12 miles and then turn right!"
"....Mom, the instructions say to turn left on 312?!?!"
"Yes."
"then turn LEFT on 312!!"
"okay, but WHERE is 312? What's the road name? what's there?"
"NOTHING, MOM! IT'S A TURN OFF ON THE HIGHWAY! When you see the sign, take it! i don't know what else to tell you, it's not like you have GPS in the car, i can't monitor you the whole way there! - and i don't know if you've ever BEEN ON Google maps before mom, it's not exactly satellite."
"okay, well, i guess that's what i'll do."
"Okay, good luck. if i don't hear from you again, i'll know you're lost in rural Saskatchewan somewhere!"
"Okay! Thank you!!"
"bye."
"bye."
[laura hangs up...her head is spinning...this is the most frustrating conversation she has ever had with her mother and fears for the future]

oh christopher walken....

just a quick little post to make you groove.... after all, it's Monday and it's raining. We could all use a little pick me up.

cheers

I'm making a difference

Good day, and welcome to today's entry on making a difference.

Some of you may look at the world out there and think: "How, Laura? How can i make a difference in this world?" to that i would say: Simple friend.

You may have noticed the shiney new button to my left that says "i'm making a difference". If you're like me and you have a tendency to chit chat on MSN (guilty pleasure, i know) you can do it from the comfort of your keyboard! that's right! YOU, sitting right there reading this, YOU can do it.

Okay, so this is what's happening.... (taken directly from the website)

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger™. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit.

So any time you have an i’m™ conversation using Windows Live Messenger, you help address the issues you feel most passionate about, including poverty, child protection, disease, environmental degradation and animal protection. It's simple. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation. We'll handle the donation.
There's no charge, so join now and put our money where your mouth is.

How can you lose? the answer, you can't.
There are several charities to choose from, and there's bound to be one that you can get behind and support. Hell, change it up and support one a day if you want to. The point is, it's easy. it's free. and it's can't hurt.

Here's a list of the charities right now. Unfortunately, Windows messenger is American based, but there's still some worthy causes. Maybe someday they'll include some Canadian causes. I've also listed their I'M Text codes as well. you can use it as a reference! i'm going to.

*red+u - American Red Cross
*bgca - Boys & Girls Clubs of America
*hsus - Humane Society of the United States
*naf - National AIDS Fund
*mssoc - National MS Society
*9mil - ninemillion.org
*sierra - Sierra Club
*help - StopGlobalWarming.org
*komen - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
*unicef - U.S. Fund for UNICEF

so, sign up today - and spread the word to all your MSN contacts... but a button on your blog, wirte a shining blog review. Just do it. You'll be glad you did.... and now everytime you chat on MSN at the office when you should be working, you won't have to feel guitly because you'll know that you're making a difference! It's okay to feel a little self-righteous. :D

Lydia's Awful Service and Sticky Fingers Bartenders create a perfect mood for chit chat

Last night i went to a PUB!! WOO HOO!! and i had a lovely time with my friend from the Queen City. However, it seemed we happened upon the pub on Super Loud Crazy Rave DJ Dance Mix Night....where they don't actually serve you, and the bartender rips you off when you buy beer.

maybe things would have been better if we were sitting on the patio, but the mosquitoes were out in full force and i did not want my friend being eaten alive any more than she already was from our walk along the river.

when we walked in, it was relatively reasonable - volume wise. As the night wore on and my One Pint (because the waitress never ever showed up, not ONCE) was consumed, the music got louder and louder to the point where my friend and i were Screaming across the table at each other just to be heard. I kept waiting for the moment where the music would stop and one of us would end up shouting: "I said his Penis had a BRUISE ON IT!!"...luckily, this never happened. PHEW!

Anyway, i'll have to go back and try again, maybe. But for now, i give Lydia's Pub 1 Overpriced Pint of Keiths out of 5 and i'm keeping the change.

search for the perfect pub begins now...

It's been decided that the B-rad and i need to hang out on more patios drinking more pints of more alcohol... and crazily enough 'twas not i who made such a suggestion. And really, who am i to say "No, honey, i don't think our lives WOULD be enriched by more visiting in a pub-type situation"

In fact, in my many blog travels along the writings of such folk as Abigail Road and Knuckle Toes and Schmutzie i realize that what my life is lacking in is, in fact, a group of people who drink beer on patios of pubs! This is the answer! Now, the journey begins to find such a patio that we can call our own. And the right group of people is paramount as well. (WOO 75 Points for using paramount...or is it supposed to be pantamount...no, that can't be right, that's like seeing how many pairs of jeans/slacks i own...it's paramount)

So, where are the good pubs? Lydias? Amigos? The Yard and Flagon? Maybe that one, i've only been there once... See, the problem is when i left ToonTown for the Big Cow City i was a student and lived in a bedroom community and never really got into the "Pub" life of the city. Now that i'm back, and here to stay, i feel we need to establish ourselves as permanent fixtures at one particular place, not unlike the crew in Shaun of the Dead. So that i can, if it strikes my fancy, say: "i'll see you at The Pub!" and everyone will know of which pub i speak of.

Somehow along the road i became some kind of a grown up type person, and i am planning on fighting this, if at all possible.

Meme me up Scotty

Past:

First grade teacher's name: Mrs. White, and her favourite colour was purple - which at the time i found very confusing...why woudn't her favourite colour be white? or her name be Mrs. Purple? Anyway, i don't remember much except that i didn't want to sing the National Anthem so i told my teacher i was JW cuz there was another little girl in my class who was and she always got to go wait outside each morning when the anthem was played over the intercom. My Mormish mother was not impressed.
Last sentence(s) you said: "I think you should go with the Classier gift."
Last song you sang and when: "Smile" by Lily Allen this morning in my bathroom....
Last person you hugged: B-rad. This morning as he was leaving. He usually kisses me when he leaves each day - i'm usually still sleeping, but this morning i grabbed him and pulled him onto the bed for a big hug. Gooooooood MORNING!!
Last person you laughed at: Laughed AT?? hm.. Probably B-rad at some point yesterday. He was in a playful mood.
Last time you said I don't remember: Yesterday when one of my co-workers asked me about something that happened over a month ago.... i can barely remember this morning.
Last time you swore: on facebook about 3 minutes ago
Last person you talked to online: Crystal.

Present:

What color socks are you wearing: boring white - i should have worn wolly socks and legwarmers and winter boots cuz it's FREEZING in here.
What's under your bed: there's nothing under my bed cuz it's directly on the floor...
What time did you wake up today: 6:15 - early for me, but i went for a run this morning.
Current taste: coffee breath... should go get more coffee.... (Leaves desk to go get coffee...)
Current hair: Short, swept to one side...can't decide if i want to pin the bangs back or not.
Do you like someone: i like YOU!
Current worry: that i did it wrong. sigh.
Current hate: i am REALLY HATING this office's stupid A/C. It's so freakin' Cold in there, there are literally icicles hanging off my nose.
Favorite physical feature of the preferred sex: hands, eyes, smile, shoulders, in that order.
Last CD that you listened to? Abigail Road's: "The Great Mixed Tape Exchange"
Favorite place to be right now: in our newly organized and cleaned bedroom with my man and my cats
Least favorite place to be right now: in this freezing office
Play any instruments: I play the piano, the guitar, the recorder, the clarinet, the saxophone, the djembe, although all of them badly. :(
Do you believe in an afterlife: i don't believe that this world is all there is, but i don't know exactly what i believe the next one to be. I definately don't believe in Heaven/Hell in the traditional sense though.
Current favorite word/saying: currently: "PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE!!"
Favorite book: there are too many, the last great book(s) i read were the Eragon books. right now i'm reading "Animal Farm" and "Lullabies for Little Criminals"
One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: i would like to have been able to remember my maternal grandpa, although he was fairly churchy. i imagine that he would mellow out my grandma, and i would enjoy visiting. But, i just never got to know him and would have liked to.

Future:

Are you going to have the white picket fence and the whole bit?: i have a fabulous house with a fence, it's brown - the fence...and actually the house is too, but it's not a picket fence. So, uhm, no? i don't think i'd ever have a white picket fence - what is this, the 50s?
How many kids do you want: depends on who's kids i've been hanging out with. ha ha. I would love 2, for sure.
If your dreams could come true, what would your lifetime career be?: singer/songwriter/artist/writer/billionaire. is that asking too much?

(hugs)

"Our hugs are like this, only better!"

Sometimes all it takes to make me smile is receiving a free gift on facebook from B-rad when we're both having a terrible day.

Painting is fun

man, i can't believe how relaxing it is to just hole myself up in a room, blare some tunes into my brain and splash around in the paint. Before i know it, hours have passed, i've listened to some good tunes, and i'm creating something out of nothing!!

We need, like, 3 more hours in every day where it's mandated by law that you do something creative and turn off the tv. Just turn it off and do something else. That box...i tell ya... we have a very very strong love/hate relationship.

Blog number Dos??

in the spirit of encouraging myself to continue to create art, i've decided to make a sister blog wherein i will post anything artsy i end up doing. you can check it out if you want...it's at messing with paint named thus because mostly i just make a mess. feel free to pop on by.