Update
I've had the strong urge to update my live journal for a while now, and this urge is beginning to manifest into a craving. Now, perhaps it's taken the formation of a guilty pleasure, seeing as I am putting off going down to the Luminara Art Studio this very second in order to write something on here. I need to give my journal a little somethin' somethin'. Don't I owe it that? Don't I owe myself that?
If only I had the Internet at my own house. Writing on this comforting site, would be an enjoyable late night activity for me during the wee hours of the morning when I'm unfortunately all too awake. Those isolating hours can feel about as boring as watching an environmentally friendly pen degrade. Hmm...I wonder what ever happened to that pen?
I worked at FolkFest, which was enjoyable. There were times where I was completely sweltering in my uniform and wiping my slip n' slide skin in an attempt to soak up some of the wet, but I got through it. Imagine a sickly wildcat, from The Romanzof Mountains, who had been found severely injured, due to a wild sex romp. After her accident, she was immediately flown to a special animal hospital in Hawaii for an emergency surgery to re-attach her broken tail, even though she was still in heat, and wouldn't stop moaning like a former nun having her first orgasm at 68. Miss Wild Cat is taken off the plane, but she's been trapped for the whole trip in a stuffy little kennel. How unfortunate. She's not too into being tied up. Finally, she gets left for pick-up outside, with the sun beaming down onto her kennel like a spot light on broadway. What does the sun think it's doing anyhow? This isn't CATS! And...oh dear, there's a giant heat wave coming on. Heat. Heat. Did I mention this wildcat is still in heat herself? That was me, at Folk Fest. Alright, alright, I'm kidding. But yes I was dripping. It just wasn't combined with sexually produced wetness. Too bad though. That would have made it more enjoyable.
I was invited by the Sam Roberts band to go party with them at Lucky Bar after their concert. But I wasn't in a huge bar mood that night, so I hung out with Nate. We made our own fun. Who needs pop rock stars to enjoy an evening? I also met Fred Penner that night, and learned how untouchable he is. Everyone let him walk around like he owned the place, and go anywhere he felt like, without proper backstage access. It started to remind me of someone else, who I know very well, that acts that way often and has gotten away with it more times than not. The irratation which spawned in me from seeing this connection, got under my skin a little. But... when a boy who looked barely 18, ran out of the tent with a face full of glee, shouting at me "Oh my god! I just did a shot of Whiskey, with Fred Penner!"...well, that was a little too good. And at that moment, I suddenly felt that the previous irritation, which had felt somewhat like a tiny (but rapidly growing) parasite, had been painlessly ripped out of me, and replaced with a good genuine laugh. If only laughter was as effective a treatment for parasites as surgery. That would really be great news for third world countries with unsanitary drinking water leading to untreated disease. I wasn't told I needed to be checking ID that night, and was even told that my company wasn't going to be doing anything about the pot smoking, which made me feel a little weird working in those conditions while trying to be (and feel) professional. I really wished I hadn't been working at one point, when I realized how much I too, wanted to do a shot of Whiskey with ol' Freddy. And I did feel the desire to take the band up on their offer and join them in their private tent. But then I remembered how I wouldn't have been back there to begin with, if I hadn't been working. So it really couldn't have happened any other way, unless I wanted to quit right then and there. Before my shift ended, I said to Sam "You know, I saw you getting your picture taken with Fred Penner, and I have to ask... Is he a fan of yours, or are you a fan of his?" Apparently their feelings were mutual. Aww, how sweet.
There were some other good bands playing at Folkfest on that day, and also the very last day, which I did get the chance to hear. Next year I'd like to actually buy a full 10-day pass, even though they're damn pricey now. I didn't get to see my oldest bro playing with Cobblestone Jazz the first night of FolkFest, and I had wanted to go see that very much, so I'm hoping they'll play next year too. I had puked that morning, therefore I wasn't really in the mood to get out of bed until the late afternoon, which was just too late to make it there on time. And the whole period I was working, I didn't get one chance to buy a Lango, despite racing to the stand after work on the very last day. I think they were the first food stand that closed. They must have had it in for me. Luckilly I at least got one small bite this year. A kind stage crew worker offered me a taste of hers when she saw how my eyes were drawn to her Lango as if it was a treestar in The Land Before Time. I looked both ways, as if I was about to do an illegal substance, and then quickly chomped down to taste that sweet sweet Lango piece of heaven which I will never forget. It took some serious willpower to turn her down when she offered me another bite 5 minutes later. I'd imagine it's about that hard to turn down herion after being a junkie for 30 or so years. That's how good Langos are. Fucking right.
I volunteered at the last minute to be an Interactive Artist for Luminara. I've had higher pressure volunteer jobs before, but what I have to do this year is still going to be tough to pull off. On my 10th birthday I skipped half a day of school, and individually gave a presentation on Heart Disease and Stroke to a few hundred businessmen (and a few wives and a lesbian) at The Oak Bay Rotary Club. I made approximately $250 in one afternoon for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and it was satisfying how I went about raising it. Also I felt proud of myself for raising more than all the other kids at school. I’m glad my parents wrote me that speech. I remember reading words like "cardiovascular", which really wasn't a part of my daily vocabulary at the time. Challenges are good. And that one was nerve-wracking, but well worth it on many levels. Public speaking at that age alone, about something as serious as Heart Disease, especially to that crowd, which was mostly middle aged men...well, that wasn't the easiest thing in the world for me to pull off. But I did it. A lady named Joan gave me the most money ($25 if I remember correctly). She was super impressed with how I could get up there and talk more confidently than she could at her much older age...and told me I gave a more interesting speech than most of the other speakers who came to Rotary. I remembered being bored listening to the others that same day actually...but I was only 10.
For Luminara, I'll discuss why I'm under some extra pressure, at a later date. As for right now, I've got to jet off to the studio, STAT.
More later!