Hum and smile.  Bop and jive.  Feel good to be alive!

Starting with a delicious dinner at the ever-popular Chez Eric, we then moved on to Wakefield’s premiere destination The Black Sheep Inn to take in some live music.  Headlining the evening was The United Steelworkers of Montreal, a lively and eclectic band with a seriously swinging alt country sound.  Mixing distinctly different vocals with toe tapping beats and some very strong storytelling, the band was clearly a crowd favourite. 

When the music ended, we had a bit of a giggle, as we were headed straight for bed.  Rather than drive the 30 minutes back to Ottawa, we took advantage of the Auberge de Mon Petit Chum’s  “Wake up in Wakefield” special, and slept in Sunday morning late.  Then, following a yummy home-cooked breakfast, it was out to the woods with our snowshoes in tow.

On the ride home to O-town yesterday afternoon, this girlaboutOtown reflected on the benefits of shaking up our regular life routines once in awhile- if even just slightly.  Taking time away can refresh our perspectives, charge our batteries, and help us to appreciate all that we have just a little bit more.  

It really doesn’t matter if you don’t leave town.  Just take a detour away from the ordinary and discover for yourself that getting out to stretch can be good.   

2008 was good to me.  Since starting to blog, this girlaboutOtown has really been out and about.  I’ve been having tons of fun doing different things, exploring new places, meeting inspiring people, and even uncovering cool ideas along the way.  Your encouraging feedback is most appreciated too. Thank you so much for reading!

There is so much more to discover and experience though, and I am resolved to share what I learn as I go.

So, why not make a list? Why not consider a few Ottawa related personal objectives for the upcoming year?  After all, this is the time year when we’re supposed to take stock, reflect and then look forward to what is ahead.  Stretching beyond our individual comfort zone – especially in the context of our community – has immeasurable benefits.  Of this, I am sure. 

Here are a few things I hope to do in 2009…

t Here in Ottawa, there are a host of independent galleries that exhibit works from a range of local, national and international artists.  I don’t stop in to see as often as I would like, and I want to more often.  Vernissage openings seem to me the best option for this, and many galleries host these regularly.  What better way to see new art than in the company of  the artist, with a DJ spinning and a glass of wine in hand? 

This weekend @ Gallerie La Petite Mort Gallery:

Hayden Menzies/Inside & Out/ New Paintings

January 2 – February 4, 2009

Sponsored by CKCU 93.1 FM

Awhile back, I was in San Francisco for one of their First Thursday’s.  Galleries in SF, and now in many other U.S. cities, coordinate events and openings on the first Thursday of every month.  Since then, I’ve wondered about the possibility of a similar tradition here in O-Town?  Until such a time, I will try to find a way to drop into a few more Vernissage openings.

t Similarly, I’m feeling like it might be time to give classical music a serious second try.  The last time I went to listen is now the stuff of family legend.  My Dad and I, in the spirit of  father/daughter bonding, made a date together to the NAC to hear the Orchestra.  Nestled into our cozy seats, enveloped by semi-darkness, and lulled by the sweet sounds of the string instruments, we both promptly fell asleep.  A bonding experience indeed… 

Anyway, I am certain that nowadays, I would appreciate a few evenings  of classical inspiration.  And, what an opportunity to bond with my little girlaboutOtown who has expressed a genuine interest in learning the violin!  Perhaps we’ll try to see Amanda Forsyth, one of Ottawa’s most glamourous and talented women, play in May.  What better way to impress upon a little one that music of all kinds can be cool.  Listen here for more from Ms. Forsyth.

t This year, as my fascination with decorative design,  architecture and antique furniture deepens, I really don’t want to miss Ottawa’s annual House Tours.  By catching even a glimpse of  how others live and how they express themselves, I am sure to gain even greater insight into how it is we find ourselves “at home”.  And, for an added bonus, these house tours are also important fundraisers for worthy local charities. 

I’ll be looking for both the Ottawa West and the IODE annual House Tours later on in the year.

t Also on the list for 2009 is my triumphant return to skis.  It’s been more years than I care to admit since I have donned the downhill’s and there is no avoiding it any longer.  In spite of my aversion to dangerous speeds, bitter cold and silly looking snow pants, I am finally convinced that outdoor pursuits of this nature may actually serve me well.  At the very least, a little winter sun will help ensure a minimum dose of Vitamin D.

In addition, I’ve received a very fine invitation from my Wakefield friend who has kindly offered to host a day of cross-country skiing, followed by a dunk in her hot tub under the stars.    Hmm.  I guess I could be persuaded!

Stay tuned for more ideas and plans for 2009…

Image credits: Painting from Hayden Menzies @ Gallerie La Petite Mort Gallery, Amanda Forsyth.com and The Ottawa West House Tour, and Gorsuch.

I am fortunate to have friends that do things a bit differently.  Each year, they invite guests to drop over for refreshments just before heading out to see The Gift of Christmas – The Singing Christmas Tree, a first class musical production put on each December by the Bethel Pentecostal Church in Nepean.  While not a part of the Bethel Church, these friends are very active members of the Ottawa community, and this is one big community event! 

Now in its 10th year, The Singing Christmas Tree is a free 2-hour variety show extravaganza featuring solo vocalists, ensembles and a 65 person choir.  This seasonal spectacle successfully combines all the razzle and dazzle of a professional song and dance production with the timeless appeal of a church pageant, as children participate alongside some very talented adults.  The show does take place in a church, so you can expect a little bit of church in the show, but it is downright fun for all ages.

Most importantly though, The Gift of Christmas is a actual gift to the Ottawa community.  Since its inception, more than 45, 000 people have seen the production, tons of food has been donated to local food banks, and almost $100, 000 have been provided to local charities like The CHEO Foundation and Rogers House.  This year, audience donations will be in support of Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Support, an organization dedicated to helping young cancer patients and their families.

And, if the generosity, goodwill and all around good fun isn’t enough to get you going, a long lost family member is reunited with loved ones at each performance.   Having witnessed these moments before, they are enough to grow anyone’s heart three sizes!

See for yourself.  Check out The Gift of Christmas – The Singing Christmas Tree at the Bethel Pentecostal Church, 500 Viewmount Dr., Nepean.

Directions here.

This year’s performances began December 5, and runs through December 14.

Dec. 12 – 7:00 PM
Dec. 13 – 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Dec. 14 – 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM

It moves us.  When we are open to it, we can feel music deep down. It can move us either physically or emotionally, and if its really good, it might do both.  And, this is just the kind of movement that is good for us.  It is good for our hearts and our souls…so it must help to keep us young. 

For those out to witness Neil Diamond’s show at the Corel Centre this past Sunday, this notion that music is necessary fuel for a full and happy life ought to have been evident.   While I myself did not exactly fit the audience’s demographic profile (it was more my Mom’s scene), this lively crowd of nearly 10, 000 were literally moved to their feet.  They were hooting, hollering and dancing in the aisles, and Neil Diamond was sufficiently brilliant to bring the house down with an audience of his contemporaries.  Playing old favourites alongside new songs from his recent, critically acclaimed albums 12 Songs and Home Before Dark, the show was a masterful mix of varying stories, rhythms, and tempos.

I must say, I was impressed by the youthfulness, the spirit and the bona fide vigour of the crowd.

Watching so many people moved by Neil Diamond and his music was a rare experience.  With his soulful voice, his insightful honest lyrics and his unparalleled stage presence, he was able to fill the room and make it seem small.  Unlike any stadium concert I have ever been to, there was an intimacy that was palpable and a nostalgic but optimistic energy that permeated  the vastness of the space.  I think it felt a lot like wisdom. 

Neil Diamond seems able to capture and express a collective understanding that is universally appealing.  The simplicity of his songs, with their many layers of truth, convey the complexities of life in a way that audiences can genuinely learn and benefit from.  I myself feel younger and wiser having seen the show!

Photos by me

So today - we celebrate our past, relish the present, and trust that the future will see our unconventional wishes come true…

I am still delirious!

 And on a separate but somewhat related note…

    ♥ NEIL DIAMOND is coming to OTTAWA!

    ♥ Sunday, November 30th at Scotiabank Place.

    ♥ Tickets go on sale Monday, October 6.

Eighty year old Dolores Claman, who wrote the jingle in 1968 and licensed it to the CBC, had always retained the copyright.  After several years of frustrated dispute, she was at the end of her rope.  Feeling the CBC wasn’t using her song properly, and that she had not been appropriately remunerated, she ended her longstanding relationship with the public broadcaster and sealed a new deal with CTV for the perpetual rights.   Since then, the CBC has turned lemons into lemonade by harnessing technology and launching The Hockey Anthem Challenge, which invites individual Canadians to compose a new hockey song and submit it to a vote.

Whether you sympathize with a single artist defending her intellectual property, support the legions of hockey fans bitterly disappointed by a broadcaster funded by their tax dollars, or are engaged with the growing community of anthem creators and commentators, this story poses some interesting questions…

♦ Dolores Claman is an artist.  She wrote the ”Hockey Night in Canada” music, and therefore owned the copyright.  She felt she was not fairly compensated.  Should the collective rights of hockey fandom outweigh her individual right to earn what her jingle was worth?  For more on her story, click here.

♦ The CBC is publically funded.  Should all taxpayers foot the bill for Canada’s “second national anthem”, and if so, at what price?  Is there limit to what we should pay to compete with the private sector?

♦ Has the CBC Anthem Challenge set a new standard in public participation and civic engagement?  A public institution, albeit a crown corporation, has finally leveraged technology.  Using social media, the CBC is engaged in what could easily be considered open source co-creation of Canadian identity.  Can it be repeated elsewhere?  Should it? Will it?

Oh, and of course back to the main reason for this post.   A friend of mine has submitted an entry, and I think it’s stellar.  Listen for yourself, register, and then login here to comment. 

Help us move it to the top of the heap!!

First stop tonight is dinner at Chez Eric, a restaurant that comes highly recommended by a friend of mine who is a permanent resident of Wakefield. Then it’s just a short walk over to the tavern to see Garnett Rogers, singer songwriter extraordinaire. No doubt the evening will be fabulous, regardless of the warm summer rain.

As to an appropriate look and feel for the occasion?  I’ve always got a few ideas…

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