External Validation

summatime

sure wish i was on Hornby Island eating John's sourdough bread made in the cob oven he built last summer

Been spending  lots of time at New Brighton pool instead.  If you are going to spent the hottest days of that Vancouver has ever seen on the Eastside, it might as well be there.  

Here's G with her Auntie after face-planting into the water in an effort to capture pool water in her mouth. There seems to be no way of convincing her that this is gross.  Even inhaling it up her nose doesn't seem to detract from the very important task of mildly chlorinated hydration.  

H wanted me to clarify that she doesn't make G cry.  So included also is a photo of G in the dress that H brought home from Spain.  Maybe it's the rose wine, but in this photo I see young G addressing her cousin: "August 18th , you, me, Sevillanas."  

rolling

Coral Reef

coral reef crochet SB sent me this, enjoy!!!!!

sprung i want

 i want this bicycle for me and Glo.

dream bike

i can dream right? rain city bikes sells them, but they are mayjaa replacement car prices.

i also fell in love with a flying nun purple lamp called the PH5. 

 I don't know what's going on with me and my materialist desires lately, not really how i roll.   i am still wearing maternity clothes cause i don't have the time or inclination to go shopping, i leave the house with pee stained clothes (not mine!) and yet i tend towards these high end products.  one is useful, one is real pretty.  I will quell window shopping with this:

#1 Ladies

Rebecca Robbins 1968-2007

It's been two years today since the passing of our friend Rebecca Robbins and I wanted to talk about her.

I met her in our last year at Emily Carr, we were all in Liz Magor's studio seminar.  I remember so perfectly when she presented the work that she had worked on all year for grad.  They were these incredibly beautiful, organic wreath-like ceramic objects with incredible green glazing, sea-like and unique, i have still never seen anything quite like them.

I wish I had a photo of them.  We had group curated our room for graduation, and it was amazing.  Sarah had a room with her beautiful film of Asja Lacis' feet walking at night in glass like slippers with sparkle dust.  Leslie had a wall of c-prints, close-ups of the copper residue on the earth and rock at the Britannia Mines.  Tara had her large format colour photos of houses and apartments with the vanishing point obscured by dint of seemingly impossible angles, with incredible reds and blues.  Gretchen's beautiful and meditative floating cream-flocked flower rectangle, Jesse's large format (like 8'long) photo of a foot.  I did a video installation in a closet.  Rebecca's sculptures were mounted on the wall that you first saw upon entering the room.  the last day of installation was pretty tense, nerves were frayed and i remember spending alot of time hiding in my closet.  at one point there was a loud smash and the room was silenced.  One of Rebecca's sculptures had fallen off the wall.  I thought i was going to puke.  Sarah was white as a ghost.  Someone called Rebecca and twenty minutes later Len showed up with an extra piece in his knapsack, put it on the wall and it was all cool.  No freak out, barely a blink.  In retrospect, she was three months (?is that right) pregnant with Sol, so our graduation installation freakouts probably seemed pretty inconsequential.  Freakout was not her way.  

 I probably got the details wrong, as time likes to mess with memory.  I wish she could meet my daughter.  She was the first friend mom I had.

I miss you.

hi Silas and Morris and Moss!

three new little dudes on the scene.  

  Speaking of miniatures, we went up to what D calls the dog park of Moms and babies, Little Nest so baby could watch the other babies.  And I could have a delicious bowl of pasta, with a chocolate-hazelnut-banana muffin for later.  The food is really good, the baked goods the bomb.  I knew today was a good day to go, and sure enough one of our midwives was there!!  I was so happy to see her, I've really been missing my team lately.  Birth is such a crazy intimate experience,  and then a few weeks pass and you no longer see the ladies who guided you through the last nine months.  

One day maybe I'll share my birth story, but not today.  

When we left, the sun was shining and had a long slow walk home with baby sleeping happily in the baby carrier that has seemingly usurped all others, the Ergo Baby.  All I know is someone is a millionaire and probably has a a house on the adjacent hill to the Bumbo Mansion, and across the valley from Sophie the Giraffe's palace.  I'm not complaining, I have them too, I am just frustrated that my great invention has not yet dawned on me.

The adventures in Diaper Free began a few weeks ago.  I am 3 for 11 successes, but I have taken a more laissez pee route after I thought I was stressing baby out a bit with my constant dangling over the sink at every perceived "communication".  

Baby fell asleep to the beautiful piano music of Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, that comprises Ethiopiques 21.

Guebrou "was a daughter of privilege, and as such was sent abroad to Europe in the 1930s for a Western education. Her schooling included music, and she became a pianist, eventually moving to Jerusalem and recording highly unique pieces that filter the traditional Ethiopian pentatonic scale through classical technique-- in the end sounding like impressionistic jazz." - Pitchfork

 a poetic summary of what i found myself listening to this evening as I finally finished Arturo Belano's The Savage Detectives.  

 Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou is now a Christian nun living in Jerusalem.  

Rainbow Connection

Sonja mentioned Robin, Kermit's cousin, in passing, which led to three days of singing The Rainbow Connection to baby. She cannot get enough. Especially this Kermit and Debbie Harry duet:

Turns out baby loves Paul Williams. Baby sings along. Karen Carpenter also a big hit.

Welcome baby's new friend, Gala!!!

more baby pics, as in music baby digs:

Sade

Roxy Music's Avalon

Gene Clark

ok that last one is a melanie shiff art piece. she's holding up neil young's first self-titled album, one I am quite fond of, and the painting by Joni Mitchell on the cover reminds me of that Gene Clarke Tribute album cover art. I did a cover of one of the songs off that album, but all vocals. you know, trumpet vocals, etc. it was pretty funny and i don't know if i'll ever be able to hear it again as i recorded it on the then cutting edge recording technology known as the DA-88. my years at art school featured much learning of soon to be obsolete machines and software. except pro-tools. that continues to be extremely valuable...

baby is trying really hard to sing along to Kellarissa's "Tiny Things" off her very new release Flamingo.

which is awesome! and you can be part of the release celebrations this Saturday at VIVO on Main St at 9 pm.

Les Beyond and Hello, Blue Roses (yup that's us) are opening up, should be a fun time and the last time we'll be playing in Vancouver in a long while.

Stork season

Blogging will most likely continue to be scant due to the fact that i had a baby. And because she is so cute, all i want to do is stare at her and keep my mind blank for the study of baby facery. Not to mention that most free time is a toss up between a phone call or a shower. Once things develop a more predictable rhythym, I hope to finish The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano and continue working on artist statement, my most hated activity, and the reason i am writing this here now.

By the fall i should be back in tune with the outside world.

So far the music baby likes:

Kate Bush's Aerial
Donovan's Greatest Hits
Mozart for Mom and Baby
Arvo Part's Alina
The Beatles
The Songs of Leonard Cohen
and most favourite:

Pet Sounds! (Beach Boys) A record I also love though admittedly it is starting to drive me mental and has infiltrated my dreams.

I found this image on Jezebel, one of my daily reads, where lately there are many discussions about birth, motherhood, etc. Many of which i like to call the Second Trimester nagging doubts that haunt many pregnant women these days. more on this later. Le plus ca change...

CORRECTION RE: JJ BEAN ON POWELL

A thousand apologies to Julia and the rest of the staff at JJ Bean on Powell, the incident about refusing me, at the time hugely pregnant, use of the washroom did not take place there but at BEAN AROUND THE WORLD on Powell. So, LONG LIVE JJ BEAN ON POWELL and down with Bean Around the World on Powell.

Again, I will try to be more vigilant when next i go off and get the name right to avoid such misplaced malevolence.

xoxoxsydney