Autumn & Bliss

Glorious, holy Autumn has arrived today! The air is cooling, the leaves have begun to turn and all the city seems more attuned to campfire magic. This season always enchants me; there’s no other time that I feel so completely comfortable to be spending days just walking beneath this city’s many trees; no other season can leave me so inspired and romantically inclined. The landscape is becoming more beautiful and every fiber of my being is lightened by the taste of the air. I feel compelled to be making love amid fallen leaves; but, alas, I’ve no autumn lover.

Last night I saw the ever-marvelous Buck 65 perform at The Marquee with Nathan, Ilea and Greg. It was a night to remember, and not just because it contained banter between Nathan and Greg, having my living room become home to three people for the night and a rather wicked veggie pizza.
Jill Barber, a local singer-songwriter I enjoy quite a lot, was the opener, which was a very pleasant surprised. I’ve become familiar with her work and it grows on me with every listen. She’s excellent live, and if you’re into jazzy, folky, poppy singer-songwriter tunes, her album may be something to enrich your autumn nights.
Buck 65 was his usual astounding self. This time he brought along his fiance Claire to sing on some of his new material, and she was captivating. “Drawing Curtains” was one of the sexiest performances I’ve ever seen, in no small part because of her francophone additions and ‘Le 65ism” was stellar, with the duo’s chants of “Sex, Cinema, Politique” lighting our ears on fire. Buck through in some older tunes, with “463,” “Pants on Fire” and “Bachelor of Science” being crowd pleasers. I’ve seen hum countless times, but he never fails to deliver an entertaining and thrilling live show. This one, though, may be his finest non-band performance to date; he didn’t have the Savant Garde, his usual backing band, but his pre-recorded instrumentals, scratching and the addition of Claire’s vocals made for a very engaging show.

Today, after doing some chores around my apartment, I met Wanda and her fellow, Mark, a block from here. We headed downtown and zagged from shop to shop. Having had two rings break in the last year, I decided to take a chance on the third time being a charm and bought a new hematite ring when we visited Little Mysteries and Wanda decided to get one for herself. It was nice to see Wanda again, even for a short while. I very much miss the times when Wanda, April and I would spend days hanging out in this city.

What else is new? Oh yes, I have a new messenger bag. My old bag reached the end of its life, so I invested in a new bag to carry all my nomadic needs. There’s a surprizing amount of comfort in knowing I can have all I need with me easily. It’s also an ever-present reminder that I have far more than I need or truly use, so I’m hoping it will spur me on toward greater minimalism.

Today I came across What Should I Read Next, a rather cool tool for bookworms like myself.

I gave it a try and entered a few of my favourite books. The suggestions seem accurate enough, so I’ll likely use it as a source of inspiration before I visit the library next.

Today I received Rockets Burst from the Streetlamps’ Departed collection. I’ve liked the band for a time, with them ranking as my favourite departed post-rock, spacerock, shoegaze bands to come out of Boston. The album and accompanying EP are solid, though an acquired taste. The “I strongly encourage you all to take a look at the elephant snout coming out of the ceiling up there, it’s very exciting” opening to “Parks and Gardens” still elicts a chuckle from me.

I’ll leave you with a link to 12 Sided Calendar, a very cool, very simple project to have sitting on your desk.