Remember a couple of weeks back when I mentioned in my BlogHer pictorial recap, that it was my last post about BlogHer? Well, I sorta lied.
On the Thursday night shortly after I checked into the hotel, I had the pleasure of attending a little party at Macy's, hosted by the folks at Estée Lauder. It was courtesy of Estée Lauder and the Advanced Night Repair party, that I managed to look (to quote a certain male person who lives in this household who is in the good books these days because we just had three weeks of major quality family time...) "really quite pretty" in most of the photos.
Make-up, babe, it was all in the make-up.
Check out the details on my review blog by clicking here.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Party, Party, Party
...is what it's been all this last week of school.
The GREAT news...
The little G "commenced" from Junior Kindergarten yesterday.
I almost cried, as she walked up in her gown and cap, her "diploma" outlining her favourite things in kindergarten grasped firmly in her hand.
And then she stood on stage, taking the microphone and reading her four lines about what makes kindergarten special while her beloved kindergarten teacher stood next to her.
Playing with her best friend, playing at recess, and playing with the castle, those are the very best things about kindergarten. Life really is tough with that play policy.
And then they were off to cake and celebrations in the classroom. The kindergarten teacher (a STAR, she was my boy's teacher as well) is off to be a Vice Principal at another school. So it was indeed bittersweet, as she was so instrumental in making my kids' entry into the whole school experience, a wonderful one. Teachers like her are once in a lifetime, and my kids were so lucky. Oh yeah, we were at a farewell party for her end of last week too.
Then we were off again...
to a pool party over at the girlie's best pal's house. In honour of the grad, my friend invited the whole class and parents to the festivities. My boy followed, the hubs followed, and they had us over for dinner. I am in total awe of her.
A whole day of fun and sun, and boy, was it ever HOT! I melted, even though I was under shade most of the time. I'm such a lightweight.
Today is THE last day of school. I pick up the kids at noon, and guess what... ANOTHER grad party. The girl is four years old and already a party animal. It should be interesting when she hits middle school...and then high school. I don't even want to think about university.
The boy laments that his school party consisted of a movie about Mozart in Swedish (they couldn't find an English version) and a continental breakfast. I guess his teacher had a bit more of a charm school bent (what??!!). I would have love that, but for a 9 year old boy whose musical interests currently lie more in the Black Eyed Peas and Lady GaGa direction, not so much.
Too funny.
And on tomorrow's agenda...you guessed it, another party, this one of the birthday variety.
The GREAT news...
The little G "commenced" from Junior Kindergarten yesterday.
I almost cried, as she walked up in her gown and cap, her "diploma" outlining her favourite things in kindergarten grasped firmly in her hand.
And then she stood on stage, taking the microphone and reading her four lines about what makes kindergarten special while her beloved kindergarten teacher stood next to her.
Playing with her best friend, playing at recess, and playing with the castle, those are the very best things about kindergarten. Life really is tough with that play policy.
And then they were off to cake and celebrations in the classroom. The kindergarten teacher (a STAR, she was my boy's teacher as well) is off to be a Vice Principal at another school. So it was indeed bittersweet, as she was so instrumental in making my kids' entry into the whole school experience, a wonderful one. Teachers like her are once in a lifetime, and my kids were so lucky. Oh yeah, we were at a farewell party for her end of last week too.
Then we were off again...
to a pool party over at the girlie's best pal's house. In honour of the grad, my friend invited the whole class and parents to the festivities. My boy followed, the hubs followed, and they had us over for dinner. I am in total awe of her.
A whole day of fun and sun, and boy, was it ever HOT! I melted, even though I was under shade most of the time. I'm such a lightweight.
*****
Today is THE last day of school. I pick up the kids at noon, and guess what... ANOTHER grad party. The girl is four years old and already a party animal. It should be interesting when she hits middle school...and then high school. I don't even want to think about university.
The boy laments that his school party consisted of a movie about Mozart in Swedish (they couldn't find an English version) and a continental breakfast. I guess his teacher had a bit more of a charm school bent (what??!!). I would have love that, but for a 9 year old boy whose musical interests currently lie more in the Black Eyed Peas and Lady GaGa direction, not so much.
Too funny.
And on tomorrow's agenda...you guessed it, another party, this one of the birthday variety.
*****
I'm too old for this. I could only handle one Stella yesterday, and I felt wasted.
But whew - I have a new weapon in my arsenal to fight the battle of the sag face: the new Estée Lauder product that I was lucky enough to try and write about over at my review site*. So even though I feel about 80, I'm looking much, much younger than that, thank GAWD!!!
(*check it, there's free stuff coming up for U.S. residents)
Thursday, September 20, 2007
You can take the girl out of Scarborough...
but you can't take the Scarborough out of the girl.
RUSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Nothing like experiencing "YYZ" at the A.C.C. (Air Canada Centre) in the middle of the week! We did our couple-concert thing last night, catching the Snakes and Arrows, 30th Anniversary Tour, of Rush. After a mad-dash downtown to drop off the kids off with my parents (who did the double-duty babysitting for us last night after a full shift with 7 week old baby J), installing the carseats in Dad's car, parking in a ticket-free zone near my sister's, hopping a cab to avoid the parking madness that would surely ensue, we made it down to the concert at 7:15 PM, let off just in front of a hot dog/sausage stand. So we had a whole 15 minutes to grab a very quick bite, and run inside to order two honking large beers (at a steal for, gulp, $13.50 a piece) and get ourselves seated along with the rest of the mom and dad crowd.
Yeah, it looked like the neighbourhood movie theatre.
People walking around with popcorn in hand, (albeit usually with a beer in the other). Here I was, getting excited about another evening without the kids, heck, I even googled "what to wear to a rock concert". However, as soon as we walked in we saw tons of Dads with their mini-me sons (some as young as Liam or even younger), the odd mother with her teenage son, and even whole families of four or more. And I also noticed the number one fashion faux pas hundreds of times over. Apparently, you're not supposed to wear a T-shirt bearing the band that you're actually there to see. I guess most of the concert-goers didn't check first - RUSH, RUSH clothing EVERYWHERE!
There was so much testosterone there (there were no line-ups for the women's washroom, believe it or not!, but a lot of it was mini-testosterone. Concerts have certainly changed since I was a kid. There was still the distinctive smell of the "doobie" behind us, but the crowd was pretty subdued, everyone sat in their seats at some point in the concert, although we were on our feet for most of it. Ian and I were discussing that we couldn't imagine going to any concert with our parents back in the day. I guess parents are that much cooler nowadays, or so we like to think.
Now I must admit, during their prog/rock years (late 70s early 80s), I wasn't the hugest Rush fan. But their sound was all round, getting a lot of radio play including the massive hits "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", and (having grown up in Scarborough the song I could totally relate to in the burbs) :"Subdivisions". When they finally started playing these familiar tunes, the crowd went nuts! All these older folks (including yours truly), doing the head-bob, fist-throwing, bowing low with the "I'm not worthy" salute (okay, I drew the line there). Fifty-year-old air guitar enthusiasts contorting in ways their kids probably never thought they would witness. Quite the sight. Singer Geddy Lee even admitted they have a gazillion songs, and at the intermission he said they needed their break for transfusions, after all, they're 100 years old. Thirty years together - incredible, longer than most marriages.
I'm sure it hasn't been without their ups and downs. I'm in total awe of their amazing musicianship. Each performer has been the best in class at one time or another during their career. Alex Lifeson's still got a bit of a boyish bounce while he does his fantabulous riffs; Geddy and his distinctive voice and great work on the bass. And Neil Peart, more on him later. Absolutely incredible that three guys, only three of them, can produce such brilliant sound together. And then such amazing virtuosity when going solo (I'm glad I was able to witness one of Neil Peart's well-deserved famous 7 minute performances on his drum kit(s):
His story alone is one for the books, having been dealt such terrible losses of his daughter and then his wife, in a very short period of time; then overcoming this tremendous tragedy to move on.
I never saw them when I was a teenager; glad I saw them now. The encore performance of YYZ in the big T.O. (they HAD to play it here in their hometown) was itself worth the price of admission. Rush ROCKS!
RUSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Nothing like experiencing "YYZ" at the A.C.C. (Air Canada Centre) in the middle of the week! We did our couple-concert thing last night, catching the Snakes and Arrows, 30th Anniversary Tour, of Rush. After a mad-dash downtown to drop off the kids off with my parents (who did the double-duty babysitting for us last night after a full shift with 7 week old baby J), installing the carseats in Dad's car, parking in a ticket-free zone near my sister's, hopping a cab to avoid the parking madness that would surely ensue, we made it down to the concert at 7:15 PM, let off just in front of a hot dog/sausage stand. So we had a whole 15 minutes to grab a very quick bite, and run inside to order two honking large beers (at a steal for, gulp, $13.50 a piece) and get ourselves seated along with the rest of the mom and dad crowd.
Yeah, it looked like the neighbourhood movie theatre.
People walking around with popcorn in hand, (albeit usually with a beer in the other). Here I was, getting excited about another evening without the kids, heck, I even googled "what to wear to a rock concert". However, as soon as we walked in we saw tons of Dads with their mini-me sons (some as young as Liam or even younger), the odd mother with her teenage son, and even whole families of four or more. And I also noticed the number one fashion faux pas hundreds of times over. Apparently, you're not supposed to wear a T-shirt bearing the band that you're actually there to see. I guess most of the concert-goers didn't check first - RUSH, RUSH clothing EVERYWHERE!
There was so much testosterone there (there were no line-ups for the women's washroom, believe it or not!, but a lot of it was mini-testosterone. Concerts have certainly changed since I was a kid. There was still the distinctive smell of the "doobie" behind us, but the crowd was pretty subdued, everyone sat in their seats at some point in the concert, although we were on our feet for most of it. Ian and I were discussing that we couldn't imagine going to any concert with our parents back in the day. I guess parents are that much cooler nowadays, or so we like to think.
Now I must admit, during their prog/rock years (late 70s early 80s), I wasn't the hugest Rush fan. But their sound was all round, getting a lot of radio play including the massive hits "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", and (having grown up in Scarborough the song I could totally relate to in the burbs) :"Subdivisions". When they finally started playing these familiar tunes, the crowd went nuts! All these older folks (including yours truly), doing the head-bob, fist-throwing, bowing low with the "I'm not worthy" salute (okay, I drew the line there). Fifty-year-old air guitar enthusiasts contorting in ways their kids probably never thought they would witness. Quite the sight. Singer Geddy Lee even admitted they have a gazillion songs, and at the intermission he said they needed their break for transfusions, after all, they're 100 years old. Thirty years together - incredible, longer than most marriages.
I'm sure it hasn't been without their ups and downs. I'm in total awe of their amazing musicianship. Each performer has been the best in class at one time or another during their career. Alex Lifeson's still got a bit of a boyish bounce while he does his fantabulous riffs; Geddy and his distinctive voice and great work on the bass. And Neil Peart, more on him later. Absolutely incredible that three guys, only three of them, can produce such brilliant sound together. And then such amazing virtuosity when going solo (I'm glad I was able to witness one of Neil Peart's well-deserved famous 7 minute performances on his drum kit(s):
His story alone is one for the books, having been dealt such terrible losses of his daughter and then his wife, in a very short period of time; then overcoming this tremendous tragedy to move on.
I never saw them when I was a teenager; glad I saw them now. The encore performance of YYZ in the big T.O. (they HAD to play it here in their hometown) was itself worth the price of admission. Rush ROCKS!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Love those showtunes
You're getting a warped sense of my social life with these posts, but here goes.
On Tuesday I saw the Canadian production of "We Will Rock You" with a girlfriend, actually the mother of Liam's best pal. It's wonderful what kids can do for you, in addition to bringing joy to your life, they can expand your social horizon tenfold. It was a great girls' night out. No kids, no husbands, just girl talk, a nice drink and dinner and then a musical. Husbands don't generally like musicals, (at least in my experience) so it worked out well that I didn't have to drag hubster to this show. He's not a huge fan of Queen's music, but he wouldn't have gone even if he were.
Notes about the show... it started out with probably my least favourite of Queen's huge array of hits - Radio Ga Ga. And they changed the lyric a bit too. It is also a tad surrealistic to hear a chorus sing Queen - it's not quite the same as listening to Freddie Mercury's distinctive and fantastic voice, bad song notwithstanding. There was a lot for me to get past in the first few minutes of the show, but the martini I had before helped a little.
After the first song, and the realization that I was actually out in downtown Toronto on a weeknight, I let myself go and in the end really enjoyed the production. It helps if you're a Queen fan, but even if not, the singing was absolutely amazing. The storyline was cute, nothing to write home about, but then I wasn't there expecting Death of a Salesman, or any of its associated acting. Choreography was pretty lame, although the dancers were good. We both noticed that a couple of the male dancers, wearing midriff-baring skin tight white shirts, were HAIRY - ugh, what a turnoff. That was the kind of distraction we didn't really need.
However, the rock band was out of this world - I actually thought it was pre-recorded until they showed them later in the performance. Unbelievable. So although there was plenty of cheese (bad puns, local references that were funny at the time but somehow lame when you think about them later), it was really a great experience. If someone got me another ticket, sure I'd see it again. The biggest disappointment was the Suzie McNeil, a finalist on Rockstar INXS who usually plays the character Oz, was not on that night. I'd heard awesome reviews about her performance, so even though the understudy was quite good, she wasn't Suzie.
The second spectacle of the week - the primary spring concert starring the one and only beloved firstborn child. The performers were from the Junior Kindergarten to the Grade 2 classes. Cute does not do this show justice! My boy did a great job singing "The world is a rainbow" and "This little light". I'm so glad we captured it on video. This was followed by some dancing by six grade- three girls, all in matching skirts and headbands. I took one look at them and said to Ian "Uh-oh, it looks like I'll have to learn to sew" to which he replied, "We'll make a good mother of you yet". Ha ha.
Just before the finale, there was major rustling in the audience, lots of jockeying for camera position ... it looked like the paparazzi at the Oscars. Then it hit me ... it was time for the kindergarteners to come on! Oh, I remember those days. Too funny! Gotta admit though, those little tykes were absolutely adorable!
Two great shows in one week. What more could a girl ask for?
On Tuesday I saw the Canadian production of "We Will Rock You" with a girlfriend, actually the mother of Liam's best pal. It's wonderful what kids can do for you, in addition to bringing joy to your life, they can expand your social horizon tenfold. It was a great girls' night out. No kids, no husbands, just girl talk, a nice drink and dinner and then a musical. Husbands don't generally like musicals, (at least in my experience) so it worked out well that I didn't have to drag hubster to this show. He's not a huge fan of Queen's music, but he wouldn't have gone even if he were.
Notes about the show... it started out with probably my least favourite of Queen's huge array of hits - Radio Ga Ga. And they changed the lyric a bit too. It is also a tad surrealistic to hear a chorus sing Queen - it's not quite the same as listening to Freddie Mercury's distinctive and fantastic voice, bad song notwithstanding. There was a lot for me to get past in the first few minutes of the show, but the martini I had before helped a little.
After the first song, and the realization that I was actually out in downtown Toronto on a weeknight, I let myself go and in the end really enjoyed the production. It helps if you're a Queen fan, but even if not, the singing was absolutely amazing. The storyline was cute, nothing to write home about, but then I wasn't there expecting Death of a Salesman, or any of its associated acting. Choreography was pretty lame, although the dancers were good. We both noticed that a couple of the male dancers, wearing midriff-baring skin tight white shirts, were HAIRY - ugh, what a turnoff. That was the kind of distraction we didn't really need.
However, the rock band was out of this world - I actually thought it was pre-recorded until they showed them later in the performance. Unbelievable. So although there was plenty of cheese (bad puns, local references that were funny at the time but somehow lame when you think about them later), it was really a great experience. If someone got me another ticket, sure I'd see it again. The biggest disappointment was the Suzie McNeil, a finalist on Rockstar INXS who usually plays the character Oz, was not on that night. I'd heard awesome reviews about her performance, so even though the understudy was quite good, she wasn't Suzie.
The second spectacle of the week - the primary spring concert starring the one and only beloved firstborn child. The performers were from the Junior Kindergarten to the Grade 2 classes. Cute does not do this show justice! My boy did a great job singing "The world is a rainbow" and "This little light". I'm so glad we captured it on video. This was followed by some dancing by six grade- three girls, all in matching skirts and headbands. I took one look at them and said to Ian "Uh-oh, it looks like I'll have to learn to sew" to which he replied, "We'll make a good mother of you yet". Ha ha.
Just before the finale, there was major rustling in the audience, lots of jockeying for camera position ... it looked like the paparazzi at the Oscars. Then it hit me ... it was time for the kindergarteners to come on! Oh, I remember those days. Too funny! Gotta admit though, those little tykes were absolutely adorable!
Two great shows in one week. What more could a girl ask for?
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Officer and a Gentleman ...
and a doctor, an ironman and he's good-looking to boot! Yes, my guilty pleasure on Monday evenings is my time with "The Bachelor". This time, of course, is fully sanctioned by the spouse, who thinks this trivial TV drivel is absolutely hilarious. We usually start watching this show toward the end, when things get "serious". Last night's elimination left a final 4 girls standing. Or at least fawning. They've certainly raised the bar, upped the ante, shall we say, with this season's lucky man.
Dr. Andy Baldwin, although definitively fairly "hot" in his own right, doesn't really hold a candle to the original officer, that gorgeous young rebel with the hidden heart of gold, who swept the young factory girl off her feet to the orchestral wave signalling the end of the movie. Andy is a verified triathlete, so I must admit that during the kindergarten playground makeover segment of last night's episode (I know, don't you just love it, he adores kids too), when we got an occasional glimpse of his biceps I couldn't help but notice. And utter a soft "ahhh" under my breath which, although seemingly indiscernible was certainly loud and clear enough for Ian to comment on. (Funny, most times their hearing doesn't seem all there but at the worst times they pick up only sounds that dogs can catch). But something about Officer Bachelor seems too boyscout, too "nice", possibly his smile is just a tad too white.
What pubescent (okay, I'll admit- teenage) girl wasn't enthralled by that modern fairy tale which starred Richard Gere at his peak, and a young Debra Winger before she became bitter? I loved, loved, loved that movie. Who cares that at the heart of it the myth of Prince Charming was perpetuated, a myth that continues to exist courtesy of Disney and the folks that bring you this reality series. I think in our heart of hearts, we all want to find Mr (or Ms) perfect. The beauty of the movie was that it showed that Prince Charming and the girl had weaknesses, that even though he did "rescue" the damsel, he had come from some pretty dark places himself. Who was really being rescued after all? Rather than Mr. Perfect, it's about finding "Mr. Perfect for me". And Mr. Perfect for ME had a bit of an edge - at least when we first met. It's still hidden under Mr. Responsibility, but I know it's there.
We have another couple of weeks until the finale of this season. My money's on Tessa, the girl who's launched a new strategy this time around. She's not convinced that this process works and hasn't thrown herself at our bachelor. She's given him reason to stay interested, as they exchange in smart repartee and she certainly kisses him back, but she's never worn her heart on her sleeve (or in her wineglass - what's up with all the drinking in this show anyway?) Clever, clever girl! So it's up to Andy to convince her that it can work. It's working, girl. He's pursuing her like you wouldn't believe! And I'm probably biased, as I think she's of mixed race, much like my kiddos are. She's a beautiful girl and seems quite together. As together as a girl who's on this show could be, anyway.
I think "An Officer and a Gentleman" the movie is being released on DVD soon, if not already. Very timely. I'll have to go buy it to relive my own memories of that time in my life. Or recapture memories of a hotter, saner Richard Gere. What's up with these PDA's in India and charges of public indecency?!! Life was so much simpler in the 80's.
Dr. Andy Baldwin, although definitively fairly "hot" in his own right, doesn't really hold a candle to the original officer, that gorgeous young rebel with the hidden heart of gold, who swept the young factory girl off her feet to the orchestral wave signalling the end of the movie. Andy is a verified triathlete, so I must admit that during the kindergarten playground makeover segment of last night's episode (I know, don't you just love it, he adores kids too), when we got an occasional glimpse of his biceps I couldn't help but notice. And utter a soft "ahhh" under my breath which, although seemingly indiscernible was certainly loud and clear enough for Ian to comment on. (Funny, most times their hearing doesn't seem all there but at the worst times they pick up only sounds that dogs can catch). But something about Officer Bachelor seems too boyscout, too "nice", possibly his smile is just a tad too white.
What pubescent (okay, I'll admit- teenage) girl wasn't enthralled by that modern fairy tale which starred Richard Gere at his peak, and a young Debra Winger before she became bitter? I loved, loved, loved that movie. Who cares that at the heart of it the myth of Prince Charming was perpetuated, a myth that continues to exist courtesy of Disney and the folks that bring you this reality series. I think in our heart of hearts, we all want to find Mr (or Ms) perfect. The beauty of the movie was that it showed that Prince Charming and the girl had weaknesses, that even though he did "rescue" the damsel, he had come from some pretty dark places himself. Who was really being rescued after all? Rather than Mr. Perfect, it's about finding "Mr. Perfect for me". And Mr. Perfect for ME had a bit of an edge - at least when we first met. It's still hidden under Mr. Responsibility, but I know it's there.
We have another couple of weeks until the finale of this season. My money's on Tessa, the girl who's launched a new strategy this time around. She's not convinced that this process works and hasn't thrown herself at our bachelor. She's given him reason to stay interested, as they exchange in smart repartee and she certainly kisses him back, but she's never worn her heart on her sleeve (or in her wineglass - what's up with all the drinking in this show anyway?) Clever, clever girl! So it's up to Andy to convince her that it can work. It's working, girl. He's pursuing her like you wouldn't believe! And I'm probably biased, as I think she's of mixed race, much like my kiddos are. She's a beautiful girl and seems quite together. As together as a girl who's on this show could be, anyway.
I think "An Officer and a Gentleman" the movie is being released on DVD soon, if not already. Very timely. I'll have to go buy it to relive my own memories of that time in my life. Or recapture memories of a hotter, saner Richard Gere. What's up with these PDA's in India and charges of public indecency?!! Life was so much simpler in the 80's.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
John Mayer's got the vibe and great hair.
We saw John Mayer last night and he was fantastic! Now, you've got to remember that I don't go to concerts very often, last one back in October 2005 when we saw Feist at the Danforth Music Hall. Actually, 2005 was a banner year for us as we also saw Duran Duran at the A.C.C. that April. But I found the vibe at John Mayer to be just about right for me at this point in my life.
I was and continue to be a huge Duran Duran fan and always kicked myself for never going to one of their concerts the first time around. Lucky for me Ian has always liked them too (remember my references to him being a metrosexual?) so when I was hugely pregnant with Giselle and we found out about the reunion tour, Ian wisely bought tickets. He was so forward-thinking (esp. for a guy!) -- when April came around Giselle was 4 months old and we were more than ready for a night out on our own. It was the first time I had left her for any major amount of time (I was nursing), and I had decided to drink that evening. So for our big night out (we had dinner at Jump in the T.O.) I brought my pump so I could "pump and dump". And with good reason. We had cocktails and wine and so much fun that I couldn't remember my firstborn's middle name. That probably explains why we went absolutely bonkers at the concert later. Screaming, singing, dancing, clapping away with all the other cougars in the audience. Those boys have aged reasonably well (especially Simon LeBon - I was more of a John Taylor groupie, but he's now officially skull-ish) and their repertoire of over 20 years of hits made it an awesome evening.
Feist was also great in concert; just more than a little different. We went with my younger brother and his wife; he's the same Chinese astrological sign as me, so that gives you an idea of how much younger. The crowd was even younger than them. Danforth Music Hall was the venue. The rickety, old cinema seats, musty/dank odour etc didn't hold the same charm for me that it may have 20 years ago. There were 2 opening acts, one a girl I can't remember, the second Jason Collett who was actually pretty good, but Feist herself didn't come on until closer to 10 PM. For me, on a weeknight, with 2 kids under the age of 5, all I could think about was how late the concert was going to go. So despite the fact that she was AMAZING, we had to leave before the end. You guessed it, I felt very OLD that night.
That brings me to our evening with Johnny. Ironically, the youngest of these three artists. But the evening hit all the right targets. Well, except for the first one, which had nothing to do with him. We took the subway downtown (something I haven't done in years; I marvelled at the automated voice announcing each upcoming stop which would have been so handy when I was crammed together with scores of others during my time at U of T). In our rush to get into the train that was pulling out, Ian managed to squeeze through the doors, but my superman couldn't keep them open for his Lois Lane. Embarassingly, he signalled that he'd meet me at the next station, next train.
We thought we'd swing it for dinner. We ended up in this bar/restaurant called the Bottom Line on Front Street. It was busy, but they did have seating on the couches, so it was quite the treat for us to eat and mess up someone else's living room. We were pleasantly surprised -- beer went down well, and the food was very good. We took our time as we figured John wouldn't come on for a while.
After this easygoing dinner, we walked down to the A.C.C, along with throngs of other concertgoers. For me, one of the most interesting things about a concert is people-watching, and making note of who enjoys the same music. Age-wise, this was the broadest spectrum of people I had ever seen at a concert. Gaggles of young girls, some on their own, many with their parents. Lots of couples, young, old and older. It looked like some grandparents were even there!
When Johnny hit the stage, screams were heard all around. But really, the crowd was quite tame and we were able to actually enjoy the music, from the pop of the first two albums, to the more mature, bluesy music currently featured on Continuum. With John Mayer, it's all about the music - his voice, his guitar, his fantastic backup band. It was a phenomenal evening. And it doesn't hurt that he's got the rockstar-like waves of hair to accent the occasional back-fling of his head.
So now Ian's given me the first right of refusal to the next set of concert tickets -Rush will be coming in September. Maybe it's time for me to go to a concert where I might actually feel on the YOUNG side again ?!
I was and continue to be a huge Duran Duran fan and always kicked myself for never going to one of their concerts the first time around. Lucky for me Ian has always liked them too (remember my references to him being a metrosexual?) so when I was hugely pregnant with Giselle and we found out about the reunion tour, Ian wisely bought tickets. He was so forward-thinking (esp. for a guy!) -- when April came around Giselle was 4 months old and we were more than ready for a night out on our own. It was the first time I had left her for any major amount of time (I was nursing), and I had decided to drink that evening. So for our big night out (we had dinner at Jump in the T.O.) I brought my pump so I could "pump and dump". And with good reason. We had cocktails and wine and so much fun that I couldn't remember my firstborn's middle name. That probably explains why we went absolutely bonkers at the concert later. Screaming, singing, dancing, clapping away with all the other cougars in the audience. Those boys have aged reasonably well (especially Simon LeBon - I was more of a John Taylor groupie, but he's now officially skull-ish) and their repertoire of over 20 years of hits made it an awesome evening.
Feist was also great in concert; just more than a little different. We went with my younger brother and his wife; he's the same Chinese astrological sign as me, so that gives you an idea of how much younger. The crowd was even younger than them. Danforth Music Hall was the venue. The rickety, old cinema seats, musty/dank odour etc didn't hold the same charm for me that it may have 20 years ago. There were 2 opening acts, one a girl I can't remember, the second Jason Collett who was actually pretty good, but Feist herself didn't come on until closer to 10 PM. For me, on a weeknight, with 2 kids under the age of 5, all I could think about was how late the concert was going to go. So despite the fact that she was AMAZING, we had to leave before the end. You guessed it, I felt very OLD that night.
That brings me to our evening with Johnny. Ironically, the youngest of these three artists. But the evening hit all the right targets. Well, except for the first one, which had nothing to do with him. We took the subway downtown (something I haven't done in years; I marvelled at the automated voice announcing each upcoming stop which would have been so handy when I was crammed together with scores of others during my time at U of T). In our rush to get into the train that was pulling out, Ian managed to squeeze through the doors, but my superman couldn't keep them open for his Lois Lane. Embarassingly, he signalled that he'd meet me at the next station, next train.
We thought we'd swing it for dinner. We ended up in this bar/restaurant called the Bottom Line on Front Street. It was busy, but they did have seating on the couches, so it was quite the treat for us to eat and mess up someone else's living room. We were pleasantly surprised -- beer went down well, and the food was very good. We took our time as we figured John wouldn't come on for a while.
After this easygoing dinner, we walked down to the A.C.C, along with throngs of other concertgoers. For me, one of the most interesting things about a concert is people-watching, and making note of who enjoys the same music. Age-wise, this was the broadest spectrum of people I had ever seen at a concert. Gaggles of young girls, some on their own, many with their parents. Lots of couples, young, old and older. It looked like some grandparents were even there!
When Johnny hit the stage, screams were heard all around. But really, the crowd was quite tame and we were able to actually enjoy the music, from the pop of the first two albums, to the more mature, bluesy music currently featured on Continuum. With John Mayer, it's all about the music - his voice, his guitar, his fantastic backup band. It was a phenomenal evening. And it doesn't hurt that he's got the rockstar-like waves of hair to accent the occasional back-fling of his head.
So now Ian's given me the first right of refusal to the next set of concert tickets -Rush will be coming in September. Maybe it's time for me to go to a concert where I might actually feel on the YOUNG side again ?!
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