elizalavelle | (no subject)

LOL I just came across my LJ entry from the first night I saw Sarah Slean perform in Sudbury check it out!

And so, because this is me, I now have a ramble on the past two years of Slean behind a cut for Kate ;)

So that old post was made before I decided that I could totally run off to TO and bus back up the night before I had two exams in a row... totally worth it! Also I passed both exams (not a huge feat as the prof. let us have cheat sheets for both of them and I believe she also told us what the essay questions were going to be. Fun fact. If you need to type a cheat sheet you can totally fit two essays worth of information on there as well as a lot of short answer questions if you go with a teeny tiny font.

Anyways, that show in April was the one where Jo concented to my crazyness enough to let me drag her out to help to put toget the scrapbook project. Somehow the idea of going to some random guy from the internet's office when no one was even supposed to know I was in the city didn't seem like a bad one... although my roommate back at school had full information and instructions to call the police had I not resurfaced by exam time LOL. Of course all turned out well with the scrapbook plan, I met some amazing people and the book turned out to be such a beautiful collaborative work. I think we all wanted our own copies once it was done. Then it was a mad rush to the Phoenix to get in line for the show, chatting with lots of people. Somewhere out there there are pictures of the “Big Daddy” cookie ;)

And then from there the last two years have been so amazing for me. I’ve been to lots of fabulous concerts for artists I’d not have discovered had it not been for Slean fans. Not to mention random Passioneer outings (Zoo anyone?)

I also managed to keep my sanity in the retail world by at least being creative on the side in the music world. Neal and I designed the posters for the first two Harbourfront shows. Then I believe it was: Andrea, Neal, Yen, Rob and myself who put them up all over downtown TO. That was a random adventure of a day. And Neal Andrea and myself also put in some time handing out flyers after the Sarah Harmer shows. I did the first one all alone, who would have though I could do that?!

I’ve travelled around some of Ontario that I don’t think I’d have gone to had there not been concerts involved and that was such fun. I still think the Kingston concert was the best one due to the random roadtrip, totally sketch motel, and fun at the Golden Griddle and then add to that that it was a phenomenal show that night and we were the most front row one can get, a little closer than I’d have chosen but I also am short and don’t like to be behind people. There was also a trip to NYC... beause this is me that should suprise absolutely no one. I ended up being saved by Ava and Julie because they let me stay with them :)

Oh and I also bought my first pieces of original artwork (my two Slean paintings) last year. I love those paintings. I actually accidentally told my father about them last weekend. He took it pretty well in stride, although he took a moment to pause when I mentioned how much they cost. Oops. But now it’s totally fine. At the time I should not have bought them but I knew I’d be angry with myself if I didn’t and thanks to my fabulous younger brother and my friend Dell I was about to swing the payments :) Totally worth it.

Throw in a poetry reading, another thing I’d not yet done before!

And we come around to my having my pictures in the Album insert on Orphan Music, they were taken at the NYC show, I’m still astounded that they were the ones from that show which made it in, I think Patty got the most beautiful shots that night, I just managed a few quirky ones on a disposable camera.

So that, in a nutshell (a lengthy rambly nutshell), is two years of going to Sarah Slean concerts and along the way being introduced to a multitude of classical music and Canadian musicians, more friends, trips, being less and less shy (yes I can too be shy and quiet if I don’t know you :P ) and I think two years of being inspired to keep doing more.

For sure Sarah’s outlook on finding more joy in this live was an inspiration to me. It got me through that last bit of my 4th year in Sudbury which was a feat in itself but after that I've just learned to keep finding the beauty in this life which I think has made me a much better person and if not better than at least I'm more happy with life.

:)