A disturbing Jason Mraz...

Jason Mraz has toured with James in the past, I believe. I don't know much about him and haven't heard his songs. What I do know is that he's a performer just like James (maybe not as famous). I just read his latest diary entry regarding autographs and pictures for his fans and it made me think...no, it made me angry.

This is a bit of what he wrote....

I still haven’t grasped the concept of saying, “No thank you, but I appreciate your enthusiasm and I am honored that the music means so much to you.” That would be the adult thing to do right? But the look on just one person’s face, the helplessness of an open mouth meshed with a beautiful stare, I give in and think it’s what I HAVE to do; midnight community service on an icy set of stairs. If I agree to just one, it’s on. The rush of impersonal pressures to scribble a sad looking version of my own name on a napkin, a business card, a ticket stub, whatever, come flooding in. Within seconds my surrounding airspace is sucked into a vacuum rightfully reserved for teen people and tiger beat subscribers, who peel away not knowing anymore about me or themselves, except that this encounter might land them in tomorrow’s “look who I met” column. Did you really meet me? Or did your ticket stub meet my pen? Did we have a conversation? Or did you squander our time teaching someone how to take a poorly lit low-resolution photograph of you and I in the same frame? I’m sorry, but I no longer understand the need for written documentation or picture proof of our encounter. I would rather know your name, shake your hand, find out what you liked about the show, what kind of music you like other than mine, where you’re from, wow you traveled how far? And so on. Only then will you be able to walk away and truly say that we did indeed meet. With that said, I’ll make this known here and I’ll do my damnedest to follow through. NO MORE PICTURES. PLEASE.

This disturbs me. I suppose in a way he has every right to feel this way since those fans don't really know him but it upsets me to think that he would shun away the very people who put money in his pocket...the very people who admire his work and have come to see him perform.

It's like being a rich surgeon and saying I love my job and the wealth that goes with it but ....I don't want to see any more blood from now on. Well, I'm sorry Mr. Mraz but we (well some of us), the people, are your fans. We are the ones who buy your tickets. We are the ones who make you rich and famous. Being famous comes with it's share of duties. Autographs and pictures with you are just one of the many things people pride themselves of having after hearing you perform and hoping to chat with you after your show (as unlikely as that may be). Just a small memory of the night and even a bit of envy of the very life you live.

How dare you!
Whilst it true that they may not truly know you, they adore your music and in that sense, know you by what you reveal to them either on-line, during your show or by the media. So, if it is what you HAVE to do to keep your adoring fans close at hand, might I suggest bringing your own sharpie to the next concert you perform and smile pretty for the camera?

Fame has it's price Monsieur Mraz. Like it or leave it.

Dad's hip!...

Yeah, he's cool but more frankly he went in for surgery on the 22nd for hip replacement surgery. I drove him in that morning right after the concert. Walking dead would be an understatement to how I was feeling that morning...lol Luckily for me, my body was pumping more adrenaline than normal so I survived just thinking of the concert.

Everything went fine except when I went to see him Saturday night he had some trouble with acid reflux and couldn't eat a thing for a couple of days. He said it was because of the Tylenol they gave him for pain. Must have been coated with codine and just screwed up the lining of his stomach.

He looked much better last night. The kids and I went to visit him. Apparently my mom had just left an hour before I got there. He'll be moved to a different floor today for some therapy then it'll basically take about 5 months for him to feel normal again. He's a strong man. I know he'll be up and walking in half that time.

On a different note:
I've had to have yet another "talk" with Pete over the weekend. He's the jealous type that always needs to be reassured about us and our relationship and with me talking about Blunty, seeing him in concert and to top it off, get his autograph, Pete's been feeling very insecure.



Heaven knows why! It's not like James would ever fall for someone like me anyway. It's like obsessing about Brad Pitt. Yeah, like that's an attainable dream! lol

Trinity

And now, for the uncut version...

My horoscope for the 21st of March said: "You see the big picture today. You are easily able to get your ideas across to others. Accept an unexpected invitation to a social gathering." This is why I brought my sharpie ....just in case.

I was definately shocked when I stepped inside the joint. Massey Hall was the last place I'd expect someone like James to perform in. A small venue that held only 2,800 people but the sound was exceptional and made for a more intimate show. I guess I was lucky.

The show started off with a band called "The Boy Least Likely to". Good band I suppose if you like the Beatles mixed with the sound of hicktown (country). Not my cup of tea although they put on a good performance and interracted with the audience a bit. I liked that.

The crowd was livid as expected when James walked out. He sang a couple of songs and then everyone started rushing the stage and stood up. Nice for a bigger venue I suppose but I couldn't see shit. They were all pulled away after a couple of songs and I breathed a sigh of relief. The new songs he sang are definately going to be big when they hit the shelves. Truly fanominal.

The pics I took weren't all that great but I was just so happy to be there with Stella. Then when he started singing You're Beautiful I knew everyone was going to rush the stage and I knew it was the only oportunity for a good picture so I seized the moment with Stella pushing me from behind yelling "go go go!" so ...I did, right to the center of the stage! At the end of the song I yelled "Paul!" He looked right at me and I yelled "Great job!" and he smiled.

I got about 5 great pics until I ran out of film. Damnit. I could have kicked myself for not bringing my Canon.
Stella and I stood there talking at our seats after the show and two blondes were urging one of the guards to let them backstage beside us. I just asked him politely where the tour bus was and thanked him. Then we put in a plan of action.

We went to get the car from the parking garage and parked on the street behind the venue. There were about 40 people waiting there for autographs and while Stella waited in the car, I stood outside with the rest of them. 40 people dwindled to 30 then the security guard told everyone that James had left. There were only about 5 of us left waiting when one of the guards tugged at my coat and asked me if I was alone and if I had wanted to meet James. Well.... Duh! lol
He asked me to wait for him, went inside, came back out and called me to come in. At this point I was nervous. Why was this guy so nice to me and what the heck exactly did he want for payment? LOL We walked out and headed for the tour bus where he said "Did you really think he was still here?" They apparently dressed him in a disguise, walked out the front doors and drove him over to the Imperial Pub around the corner. Ingenious! I laughed. He was actually going to give me a ride there but I asked if I could take my own car. "What are you doing here alone anyway?" he asked. I told him I really wasn't alone and that my sister was waiting for me in the car across the street. He told me to follow the silver Intrepid. So ...we did.

Stella didn't want to come in with me even though I begged her to. I, for once in my life, wasn't afraid to do something alone and if it was a chance at meeting him, damnit, there was no stopping me. I walked upstairs but didn't see him. Then walked downstairs to the bar at the bottom. That's when I saw Karl at the bar and shook his hand. I continued to look around for James and saw the back room guarded and a bunch of people taking pics so I knew he was there. I saw the original guy who led me there, thanked him and offered to buy him a drink. He didn't drink but asked me if I was a groupie. I laughed and said "God no!" and had images of scantily clad women having sex just to meet someone famous. Umm...definately not me.

My heart skipped a beat as I approached the room and peered inside. There was Paul and Ben and James playing pool with this older gentleman. Holy shit! I thought. He plays pool! And, very well I might add. lol

I waited patiently. I didn't want to be rude. I'm sure he deals with his fair share of that everyday. When the game was over he walked right past me, headed outside to have a smoke and I followed feeling like a lost puppy with black sharpie in hand. Security asked me to wait until he finished. He was having a nice conversation with this older lady who was apparently from Australia and had seen him perform there. Then he walked inside straight to the pool room again. Then I mumbled, "What's it take for someone to get an autograph." The guard at the door said "Patience...alot of patience" and smiled. I thought then it was the perfect oportunity to get autographs from the rest of the band. Ben, Paul and Karl all signed the back of the CD graciously. Especially Karl. There was just something about him that I loved. Maybe it was the wink he gave me afterwards or his modesty that touched me. I dunno.

Waiting for James was a torturous pleasure. He walked passed me to the bathroom and then back into the pool room. It was though he didn't want to notice me there though. I was a little offended at that point until he walked out again and the two guys beside me stopped him to take a picture, then he noticed me standing there, alone with marker in hand.

He stood about 5'7 with the most shyest look on his face. You'd never imagine he was a superstar. I finally came to realize that he really doesn't know how popular he really is. Or, maybe he just wants to feel like a normal nobody sometimes. Who could blame him, really. The 24 hr limelight must drive him crazy. I guess it's all a part of being famous even when you don't realize how famous you've really become.
Anyhow, he asked me to hold his lighter while he took the marker from me. "Hi, how are you?" he asked and I just stood there wondering if it was really him. After a very long uncomfortable pause, I said "Fine". The guys beside me asked when he'd be back in Toronto and he said November. That's when I finally got my courage and said, "I guess you should really book a bigger venue next time" and he smiled and walked out for another smoke.

I walked to the car and looked over at him while telling Stella what had happend. "He's a Pisces. He doesn't want to be noticed. He was holding his head down outside as if he was hiding....like he didn't want to be recognized." Then she told me something that really made alot of sense. She said "Pisces generally feel as though they're no special than anyone else."
He was avoiding eye contact with me so what she said made sense.

I walked out of there in denial...a little shocked at the autographs at myself and what I had actually when through to get them but all in all felt really pleased that James and his bandmates were such nice people. I hope they stay that way for a very long time.

I drove Stella home and drove off wondering if Pete was snoring on the couch or if he finally made it to bed for once. Got home around 2:30am and Pete didn't look too happy....but that's tomorrow's journal entry.

Trin

A proper James Blunt review...

Set list as follows:

Breath
Billy
High
Cry
Goodbye my Lover
Coz I love you
Tears and Rain
I Really Want You
Out of My Mind
No Bravery
Same Mistake
Wise Men
So Long Jimmy

Encores: Where is my mind and You're Beautiful

I think we who attended were very lucky to see James perform in such a small venue as Massey Hall when we know that he'd no doubt fill the ACC with ease.

I'm sure James is accustomed to the occasional outburst of "I love you's". If nothing more than flattering, James should see it as a way to interact with his audience. After all, we're not attending an Opera! But, saying that, I'm glad security kept everyone in their seats. It would have made it very difficult for someone like me who's 5'2 to see his wonderful performance. The only thing I had to frown upon was the gentleman (and I use the term loosly) singing along to GML loudly and terribly off key...but I just had to laugh. I wonder if he knows how bad his really was. lol

Musically, James did have a tough time singing the high notes as he was a bit hoarse. I'm sure due to all the interviews, shows and ongoing tour. (We in Toronto loved you anyway James!) Simply a fanominal performance. (Take it from this harsh music critic). The new songs he performed will undoubtedly join YB to be number one hits when his next recording hits the shelves. Can't wait!

It took dedication, persistance and a shitload of luck but I had the pleasure of meeting him and the band for a brief moment after the show. I am in no means a "groupie" but wanted so badly to see greatness up close and was surprisingly a little star struck when seeing him next to me. After humbly giving me an autograph or two, I left with some great memories and am very greatful to have had the pleasure.
I also thanked my lucky stars that I took the following day off work. lol

Definately looking forward to seeing him back in November!

Trin

Tonight's the night!

James Blunt, don't worry I'll be there tonight with open arms and a warm heart....lol Here I come baby! No worries! lol

Yep, I'll be listening to his brilliant live performance tonight. I'm anxious and excited about it as I'm sure Stella is as well. I made sure to bring my camera but I'm trying to figure out if it's allowed. Some venues don't allow pictures to be taken during a show.

I'm planning to wear my jean jacket with my union jack shirt. Maybe he'll take a second glance at me with that on...lol

I'd like to buy a couple of shirts and maybe if they have it, his live CD. They cost way too much when you add the shipping on his website.

Can't wait!

Trin

How do you get shit off a fan?

You know the expression "When the shit hit's the fan"? Umm...that's what it feels as though is happening this morning.

Ray our VP and Gen Manager came by to ask why there are unretrieved packages at my desk. Apparently he's making an attempt to "spruce" up the place. I guess, make it more corporate and professional looking but I think he's going about it the wrong way.

I mean, he asks me to speak to Richard to move these boxes and to speak to Sonia about having people fill out applications somewhere other than the lobby but my point is....who the heck am I?? I'm not the one he should be complaining to about these problems! He should be going to the source himself...not ask a nobody like myself to speak to these people. Who the fuck am I?? I'm not the best person to delegate authority. In all honesty.....I really suck at being a bitch toward other people and besides, I'm a nobody here. I'm in no position to tell people what to do!

Does he honestly think anyone is going to listen to what I tell them? LOL! That's truly funny.

Trin

Unfaithful and sayings

Thanks to Renee, I've come to appreciate my good sense of humour and in comparison to this other girl, I've come to realize that I'm not alone when it comes to boyfriends, or in my case, husbands who say similar sarcastic things from time to time.
My favourite one by far is when she tells him "Your fly is open" and he replies, "I'm advertising".
I could probably open up a website with similar sayings but I'd probably be writing his on scrap peices of paper constantly so that I wouldn't forget what he said.
Check it out sometime at http://www.thingsmyboyfriendsays.com

Oh, if you're ever in a shitty mood do what Renee does and visit http://www.cuteoverload.com If that doesn't cure you then I suggest you head for your nearest liquour store.

Last night I watched Unfaithful with Diane Lane and Richard Gere. I did notice this movie at Blockbuster when it came out on DVD but never rented it cause I initially didn't think it was a good movie. Boy, was I dead wrong. The passionate scenes alone would drive any woman into a frenzy. So intimate! And, I didn't even catch the first half of it. Toni, here at work said it's a great movie so I think that will be my next rental. Umm...maybe this weekend. I'll have to wait until the kids are asleep due to the nudity and violent factor of this flick. Wow, if that's not a reason for a night in I don't know what is! lol


Trin

Thinking...

I miss you Chris.

I'm such a retard.

On February 10th I was lucky enough to get my hands on 2 tickets to the James Blunt concert. When I saw my tickets I almost screamed. I looked at my seats and noticed it said Row 1 seats 4&5. What I noticed today made me so sad.

I must have misread the seating. Instead of row 1 it's actually row "I" which is farther back to the left. Here I am thinking I was lucky enough to get first row tickets while all the while I'm just like any other Joe blow here. Humpfh! In actual fact I'm worse than any other Joe....I'm such a loser! I misread my own tickets!

I'm so embarrassed. I told everyone at work that I'll be sitting in the first row. They're really going to think I'm a retard.

Well, I guess I should be happy that I'm going at all. Some people are very upset they couldn't even get tickets to this sold out show. Toni in finance had to pay an extra $100.00 for balcony seats. I guess I should be happy too that I don't have to sit in front of a post either. Some seats at Massey Hall are obstructed views which means you'll unfortunately be sitting in front of a pillar or post. That would truly suck.

I did convince myself to take anything that I could get when the tickets went on sale but it was sure nice to think I had front row floors. Damn. I guess I'd better tell Stella the bad news.

Trin

Skating on a Sunday....

Monday's suck but rainy Monday's suck even worse.

It's mild though. An odd high of 17 degrees which is supposed to be a 1977 record breaker apparently. It won't last long though. Tomorrow we're back to the -1 temperatures.

Danica and I are making it a habit of going skating on Sunday's. It's been 2 Sunday's in a row. A little expensive at $4.25 for 2 hours but good exercise none the less. Danica's doing much better too. She's skating rather smoothly while holding my hand but is too afraid to let go without hanging on the edge of the boards for more than 2 seconds.

I was doing fairly well myself. Well, I'm no expert but I can skate quickly and cross over but my skates clearly need to be sharpened because with only 5 minutes left to go home Danica sat down to rest and I took to the ice with speed and grace and then WHAM! Yep. Fell right on my sweet patootie. Both my palms are bruised as well as one of my elbows but surprisingly my butt doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I guess I have enough "padding" back there to have successfully cushioned my fall.

Embarassing too. Not because I rarely ever fall but only because there was a cute guy there who was looking at me. Reminded me of my teenage skating days where my friend and I would go skating to scan the potential hotties....lol Anyway, I must have just passed him on the ice when I landed on my backside. I think he just turned away and pretended not to see me. I just sat there for few seconds and laughed at myself after the initial pain and embarassment subsided.

Oh well. Everyone falls but not everyone gracefully bounces like I do. LOL!

Trin

My new car?

Pete has been talking about getting a new car for me for a while now....well, not exactly "new" but ...new to me. My Honda's getting all rusty and the tranny is in some need of repair and it's only a matter of time before it blows up leaving me stranded on the highway.

He came home last night and said that Joe (our neighbour) knows someone who wanted to scrap his car because he's had this noise problem that he claims he had repaired several times but nobody has managed to fix it and it's driving him crazy. Pete told him to come by because he was interested in buying it and the only image going through my mind was this:

I didn't even bother going outside to look at it after he said he bought it for $100.00. I wondered how long it was going to take him to get what he needed from the junker and get the damned thing off the bloody driveway. *sigh..yet another restoration project.




When I woke up this morning and walked outside I was delighted to see this:

Well, that's not really the pic of the car but it's pretty darn close! No rust at all!
It's also a 2 door which looks a bit more sporty. The only thing Pete has to change are the struts and it's actually good to go.

I'm actually shocked the owner of this car wanted to get rid of it which makes me think that it's either stolen, he's rich enough to buy a yacht or is a total idiot.

Either way, I'm happy but I'm not willing to give up my Honda so quickly. Even though it's in need of a good paint job, to me, it still runs well and takes me from A to B. It's low in insurance and comfortable to drive..... besides, I just got the windows tinted last year and it looks great. Well, to me.

Not to mention it has become like a husband to me. I know it's little quirks and if I kick it the right way, it'll do what I want.

Trin

Sick for 3 days....

I went to visit my mom Saturday afternoon. It must have been around 6 or 7pm when I started feeling totally like shit and had to get the hell outta there.

Sunday, I barely knew which way was up. I felt dizzy and tired but still brought Danica skating. By the time we got home, I crawled straight into bed and passed out for about 4 hours. I woke up with Juliana's face next to mine and I could hear Pete calling her to leave me alone. I just lay there for another hour before dragging myself out of bed. I made some soup and for the life of me can't remember the rest of the night. It's still a blur.

It felt like I had bronchitis and I had lost my voice. Pete drove both the kids to school Monday morning while I immediately called in sick and slept for most of the morning. I did get up to make some lunch for myself and make some tomato sauce for dinner that night. It felt great not having a single thing to do (for once). I had the whole house to myself....well, not including May and Nico. They felt content just laying on the couch with me.

I watched Maury's "I slept with your husband and may be pregnant with his child", flicked the channels without anyone yelling to put on "The Wiggles" and slept with the tv watching me for part of the day. Now I know what couch potatoes feel like....lol

Now that my voice has been restored, I'm trying to catch up on lost conversations but I'm being very careful at trying not to sound too well. I may just have to do that again soon....VERY SOON!

Ode to leakage....

I would feel like a champ today because I put myself to bed shortly after 9pm last night, but I have this chest cold (feels more like bronchitis) that just won't get any better. I could have stayed up until 10 but thought my body needed the extra rest.

Thank God it's Friday. This week seemed to go by quickly but the days individually dragged on. No plans for the weekend but I've been thinking of visiting my mom since I haven't seen her since Joanne's shower. I'm sure she'll give me shit for not calling her, then hand me some frozen tupperwared, low fat (well, ....according to her) concoction she had whipped up the day before. lol

Ray is such an idiot sometimes. He's our VP and Gen Manager. Our skylight has been in need of major repair for years. Everytime they send someone to look at the problem I think it's finally going to be fixed and then years go by with no repair. We have buckets lined up everytime it rains, snows or hails. I've been taking them out and putting them back as the weather changed but I got tired after months of the same shit and just left them.
Well, Ray came by, took the buckets off the floor, looked at me and said "It hasn't rained in days." I had to quickly stop him to tell him I had to put out a bucket just yesterday and move the leather chair because someone had noticed drops on the damn thing from the ceiling leak. Then he mentioned putting a plant where we were getting the most leakage because the buckets look like crap. "Sure" I said after suggesting that idea for years with no approval. I also muttered "Why don't you just get the damn thing fixed properly, ya cheap bastard, and we wouldn't be havin' this problem now ...would we." under my breath....... of course.

I should also complain about how ugly my computer looks. Especially the monitor. If he's really concerned about company image then I should have a 17" black flat screen by Monday.

Trin

Surviving on 4 hours of z's

I was actually shocked that I got up so easily this morning. I had about 4 hours sleep after a night out with my sister last night. Mind you, it's about noon now and I'm feeling it.

When my sister Stella and I engage in a conversation she does 99% of the talking...lol We (she) must have talked for 4 hours! lol

We had a great date night. We had a latte and cappuccino at the Williams Cafe right down the road from her house. The atmosphere was quiet when we got there but got busier as the night went on.
We sat in my car after enjoying our drinks and had a smoke or two...or three. We talked about my upcoming surgery, our kids, our husbands, the decisions we've made and haven't made. When the initial small talk was out of the way she mentioned that she had something important to tell me so I tried coaxing it out of her because she seemed hesitant. As I sat there wondering, she tells me what seemed to be one of the most nicest, sweetest and romantic stories anyone could listen to.

To sum up what took 4hrs to tell me (and I won't get into the details), when you boil it down, she's basically flirting with a guy on-line. Both my sister and her hubby have known this guy Conrad for years. He has installed the satellilte for them and various other of my family members and friends. My sister found out that just last year he apparently caught his wife in bed with another man, they separated, she took their one son and moved to Thunder Bay where he can only see him now through a web cam. Anyway, the sad story of this man's life apparently caught on my sister's heartstrings. She was always one to give support to anyone or anything in need and Conrad was no exception.

They have been friendly flirtations, she told me....games like "try to figure out what I'm thinking" or music games to see what bands they both like or dislike. She loves the attention as I'm sure he does and thankfully admits she knows that they could never have anything more between them. Funny thing is.....The way she described what she was feeling brought me back to a time where I was vullnerable and believed that one particular on-line friend wanted me to spend my life with him. Unlike my sister, I had a very bad marriage at that time. She doesn't......so I don't believe anything bad could ever come of this innocent flirtation between them. But, shit happens! You never know.

"Take a step back" I told her. I'm concerned. She may fall into that same "starry eyed crap" I fell for because of her good heart and soul. She's much too kind for her own good....as was I, once upon a time. I'm actually afraid for her.

Of course I vowed not to tell a soul. I never said anything about my blog. After all, who the heck would anyone want to read this stupid boring thing anyway?

Trin