Cosmic ChrisC

Yep, I have pictures to prove the partying, but Ollie stole my camera last night and stored those pictures safely away! We had a freaking good time and celebrated Ollie's birthday all week. There are many highlights for me, including Heavy Metal Saturday, where we sat around our campfire and listened to metal for a few hours. I think the forest animals enjoyed that. We also had a hot tub in the cottage and enjoyed it every day (our lake had a strange-feeling clay bottom so we liked the hot tub better). I love cottage vacations!!! Canada rocks!! Hope you enjoyed your week, dude!

Do you think it's likely to run till 1 a.m. or so? If so, Ollie and I will have to seriously think of going to the Mule show right after Genesis is done at the Stade Olympique! Genesis will end by 11pm for sure I'd think...how quick do you think we can make it to Le National from the Stade, by public transportation? Since Mule is general admission, we can think about it and buy tickets from Admission.

If you decide to go to Costa Rica...a friend of mine, Stephanie, co-owns a surf shop in Nosara, CR. She spends about half of her year there. You could contact her for information about that area, accommodation, surfing, etc.. She's in CR right now for most of the summer. Tell her I told you about it. - Christine Juan Surfo's Surf Shop Guiones North End Surfboard Rentals & Lessons Surf Supplies, T-shirts, etc. 011-506-682-1081 juansurfo@yahoo.com Her boyfriend down there also rents houses: http://www.juansurfohouserentals.com/

Freeker...check your PMs.

Oh no! Did the City of Ottawa embarrass us again? If you can't do something well, don't do it at all. Any players there? Celebrities? Did lotsa people show up?

I think I'll stay on Mr. Rico's couch. He's a wine aficionado + epicurean and speaks 5 languages. Sounds harmless. But there's Clelio who is a male, seems to be wearing a dress and is studying massage!

Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF): Office Administrator Job Description: The Office Administrator is involved with nearly all aspects of daily operations. S/he is responsible for all administrative functions. The primary areas of work will be in general administration, member services and conference delegate administration. This is an excellent position for someone who is at the start of his/her career in the arts industry. Administrative responsibilities include but are not limited to: providing administrative support to other staff members; managing the production of the quarterly newsletter and other print materials; assisting with development of projects and other initiatives; managing information systems including database, resource library and member services; sourcing and purchasing office equipment and supplies. The Office Administrator reports to the General Manager. This job description is not a complete statement of responsibilities. These responsibilities are representative of the minimum level of knowledge, skill, and/or abilities. The OCFF retains the discretion to add or to change duties of the position at any time. Please note that some travel will be required. The position is a one-year, full-time salaried contract based on a 40-hour work week. Skill Requirements: The ideal candidate is detail-oriented; highly organized; has excellent communication skills; takes initiative; provides a high level of service; works independently but is a team player; is comfortable supporting others; has exemplary customer service skills; has experience in the in the areas outlined above. Applicants should possess the following: · Exceptional verbal and written communication skills · Highly proficient with computers and computer programs · Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Outlook and FileMaker Pro or other database programs · Ability to multi-task and prioritize · Superior time management skills · Knowledge of office procedures · Service-oriented Additional assets: · College Diploma or University Undergraduate Degree · Ability to communicate (verbal and written) in both official languages · Knowledge of web-based programs and website development/maintenance · Some previous experience working in the cultural industries · Drivers license · Ability to work outside regular hours during conference time Please submit resumes with cover letter and references in Word or PDF only. Resumes can be mailed or faxed, but electronic copies are appreciated. No phone calls or email inquiries please. While we thank you for your interest, only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. Start Date: June 4th, 2007 Location: Ottawa Salary: $25,000 to $28,000 Benefits: Offered after probation period Deadline for submission of resumes is May 4, 2007 Applications sent to the attention of Ms. Jennifer Fornelli at info@ocff.ca Ontario Council of Folk Festivals 410 Bank Street, Suite 225 Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y8 phone: 613-560-5997 fax: 613-560-2001 toll free: 866-292-6233 email: info@ocff.ca www.ocff.ca 21st Annual Conference: October 11-14, 2007 in London, ON

Hahaa! Yeah! I loved it! Dio is awesome...such a small person but with an amazing presence. Tony Iommi was great too. I loved being able to see them so close. Stage decor was super heavy metal too...gates to heaven or hell. I can't headbang much anymore though sadly...my neck becomes sore quickly now. I probably damaged it in my youth. Civic Centre rocks...reminds me of my first concerts back in the 80s and early 90s. Only thing is that beer isn't allowed in seats or floor anymore. Boo. But hey, that's why Ollie is at work today! haha.

Ollie, if you're really bored right now, can you figure out my rank? There is no way I'm counting back that many people! haha! I'm way behind!

Since we're now mentioning blues, R&B and jazz singers, then I have to mention Nina Simone. I just started listening to her in the past year, and she gives me goosebumps. Her cover of the Jacques Brel song "Ne me quitte pas" blows me away.

Kim Gordon! Yeah, how come she wasn't mentioned until now? She's definitely up there and she seems cool too and level-headed. I like Courtney Love but she disappoints me when she gets any plastic surgery done. Looks shouldn't matter (unfortunately, they do matter for women in any field, and looks always become a criteria, whereas it's not as much for men). She actually looked better before the surgeries. It's sad that she thinks she has to compete that way. Anyway, Courtney has the kinda voice I like for females, deep, raunchy and not very pretty. I like Fiona Apple also, at least her last album. She has a softer voice though and she's more alternative piano rock/pop.

Sometimes I hate people. The condom has been there for a few days now. When I first saw it, I almost instinctively picked up (I like a clean space!) but then Ollie told me not to touch it. I was gonna use a tissue to pick it up. Geez. But even then, I guess that is still gross. Thank you Ollie. Anyway, I do hope it's gone soon. I can't tell if it's been used or if it's just been opened and left there.

I don't know about the shin kick, but now I understand that Davey Boy is eating celery in the name of science. Let us know how it goes Davey Boy! I also will no longer venture into the sports forum. Shudder.

OK, see? Obvisouly, I'm missing something here. Is this another inside joke?? I'm so freaking clueless sometimes.

Yeah you're right (although I'm munching on mac and cheese). It's lunch time and I have a bad habit of eating at my desk while working. But that's because I use my lunch hour to go out for a walk. I can't stand sitting at my desk all day, then using my lunch hour to sit at kitchen table. Since this is a thread about the weather, it's now raining a lot here, which means I'll get really wet on today's lunchtime walk. Man, this is a boring post. Maybe there is a reason why I don't post here often! hee hee.

HUH? What are you talking about Ollie? Who's in Amsterdam? Spot the Inside Joke Oh, I don't read the board often enough. And that's probably a goog thing!

HUH? What are you talking about Ollie? Who's in Amsterdam?

How about you go to bed early from now...like 11pm or something like that? That does help! I've sure you'll become creative on finding ways to stay awake! Congratulations on getting a job!

OK, OK, fine. I guess I need to post something since this is an appreciation thread about my boyfriend. Geez. Yep, Ollie is pretty cool. I appreciate him every second of every day. He makes my world go round.

It's a new Office tonight! I missed the first twenty minutes of the Christmas one a few weeks ago because nobody told me about it, and that pissed me off, so I thought I'd let people know that it's a new one tonight! I watched The Knights of Prosperity pilot show last night, sitcom about people planning to break into Mick Jagger's apartment. It sucked, but I watched it anyway.

Always good reminders: [color:brown]Curing that hangover - the natural way Julie Beun-Chown, Citizen Special Published: Saturday, December 30, 2006 January 1, 1987. 3 a.m. My head is pounding. My mouth is desert dry. Must. Drink. Water. Ugh. Tastes funny. But it's wet and I chug it down. The next morning, I realize why. Two inches of sediment in the glass and a quick glance at the ditch-digging equipment outside my MacLaren Street apartment mean nothing, at first. I stare doggedly, willing the answer to come. Ah. Burst pipes. I look at the glass of mud again. I'm going to be sick. New Year's Day wasn't supposed to be like this, but my girlfriend promised me the "best martinis ever." I don't know how they rated on the martini scale, but what I do know is that when we ran out of vodka around midnight, we started drinking vermouth. Straight. Nothing like a sweet-wine hangover to remind you how truly stupid you are. Fortunately, I've moved on, and learned a few things, especially about hangovers. First, a little chemistry lesson. Hangovers (veisalgia to those who know these things) hurt because as alcohol metabolizes, it depletes the entire alphabet of vitamins including A, B6, C, D and E, and creates a toxin called acetaldehyde. "If you don't overdo it, your body produces enough acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione, which help eliminate acetaldehyde from the body and moderate its effect," says Kanata pharmacist Jane Ledas. "But if you drink too much, the liver's stores of glutathione run out, leaving the acetaldehyde to build up." Meantime, while you're sleeping off what amounts to an overdose of depressants, your body reacts by re-stocking its alcohol-depleted glutamine, which stops the brain from really resting. The overall result is headache, nausea, tremors, anxiety and fatigue. Then, there's your brand of poison. No matter what Jack Daniels has to say on the point, clear liquor like vodka and gin are kinder to hangovers than whiskey, rum, bourbon and red wine, because they have fewer headache-inducing impurities called congeners. It may be possible to overcome the worst of your excesses, but your strategy should start well before your first bottle of bubbly. [color:brown] Before You Go Out - Consider taking prickly pear extract five hours prior to going out. According to a 2004 clinical study, the fruit contains powerful antioxidants, and has a significant effect on nausea, dry mouth and loss of appetite. - Eat a solid meal before you get too festive. Because they stick to the stomach lining longer than lean meals, fatty foods and carbohydrates slow the absorption of alcohol, giving the body a chance to metabolize it better. If you're at a cocktail party, zone in on the deep-fried nibblies you usually keep at a distance. What the hell, it's New Year's Eve. [color:brown]At The Party - Stick to clear alcohol like vodka and gin or white wine, all of which have fewer congeners. Also, avoid bubbly drinks if you can. Whether it's beer, champagne or rum and Coke, carbonated drinks actually speed the absorption of alcohol. - Remember water? Turns out that provided it wasn't dug up outside of my old apartment, it's great for managing your alcohol consumption. "Alternate drinking a glass of water and an alcoholic beverage throughout the evening to reduce the detrimental effects," says Ledas. "Alcohol dehydrates, so have two glasses before bed, as well." [color:brown]After The Party - At this point in the evening, you may not entirely remember your clever hangover strategies, so make sure you're prepared beforehand. Ledas recommends having a multivitamin, and two ibuprofen or aspirin by your bed. "Both painkillers contain prostaglandin inhibitors, which will decrease the hangover's side effects like nausea, vomiting and headache." - Look into activated charcoal tablets. Vodka manufacturers use it in filters to purify their product of congeners -- and it works on clearing them from your body, too. Take as directed, because charcoal will also deplete nutrients. [color:brown] The Next Day - Once you stagger out of bed, eat a good breakfast. Your head will probably whine about wanting a greasy bacon sandwich. Ignore it and order a poached egg on toast and a banana smoothie made with a teaspoon of olive oil. Eggs contain the amino acid N-acetyl-cysteine, a building block for glutathione; bananas contain a natural antacid and are rich in potassium, which will relax those blood vessels pounding in your head. The olive oil is widely used in detox diets to flush out your liver and gall bladder. - And coffee? Forget it. Caffeine might fight fatigue, but it's also a diuretic and will torment your already over-stimulated and jittery mind. Instead, opt for ginger tea with a dash of honey. A natural pain reliever, antiseptic and antioxidant with more than a dozen antiviral compounds, traditional herbalists used zingiber offininalis not only to ease nausea, but relieve cold symptoms, motion sickness and bloating. - Mint tea is another good option. The ancient Greeks were known to place wet mint leaves in a cloth across the forehead to treat headaches. Hundreds of years later, their gentle wisdom was either lost or at least wildly misunderstood: Renaissance Italians treated a sore head by stuffing wet mint up their noses. - For a severe headache, a little Chinese acupressure could do the trick. Deeply press the Ho Ku point, on the bone at the edge of V-shaped web where the index and thumb meet. Then, use your thumbs to press the top of your neck, in line with your ears. - Like aspirin, the daisy-like herb feverfew inhibits the release of migraine-causing prostaglandins. It's also an anti-inflammatory and will ease constricted blood vessels. "Before you take it, consult your pharmacist about its profile for any contra-indications," says Ledas. - Brutal as it sounds, go for a walk before you collapse back into bed. By breathing in through your nose, your produce nitric oxide, which keeps blood vessels open, improves circulation and reduces blood pressure. Julie Beun-Chown is an Ottawa writer. © The Ottawa Citizen 2006

Bluesfest finds room to rock at new site Lynn Saxberg and Carolyn Girard, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Cisco Systems Bluesfest will finally have the space it needs for major rock concerts when it settles into its new home on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum next summer. While music fans are thrilled Bluesfest is moving back to LeBreton Flats, veterans' groups hope the crowds respect the new site and Albert Street residents are wondering how far the noise will carry. "That's exciting news," said Dr. Mike Pilon, the retired army major who photographed a young man urinating on the National War Memorial last Canada Day. The photo ignited a national controversy after it was published in the Citizen, and the young man subsequently apologized for his behaviour. But Dr. Pilon is a longtime fan of Bluesfest, and has fond memories of taking his son, who's now a musician with his own band, to the festival when it was at LeBreton between 1999 and 2001. "I think it's kind of nice that people might go to the war museum who might not otherwise," he said, "and when they had Bluesfest down there before, it was a very community-type event." The festival was forced off the Flats in 2002 to make way for the redevelopment of the area. Contaminated soil was removed before the museum was built and the parkway was rerouted around it. The next phase of development will include residential units, office and retail space. After five years at Ottawa City Hall, Bluesfest is expected to announce today that next year's event will take place July 6-15 at the National Capital Commission's newly developed festival site. Past editions of Bluesfest have featured mainstage concerts by edgy performers such as rap-rocker Kid Rock, hip-hop party band Black Eyed Peas and the energetic punk act, Simple Plan. Rumours are already swirling that a reunited version of hard rockers Van Halen (with original singer David Lee Roth) might appear next year. "The only thing I'd be concerned about would be vandalism," said Dave Richardson, president of the Strathcona Legion, "but from what I've heard, it's usually well controlled. As long as security is properly controlled, I don't have a problem." Jayda Kelsall, a resident of Albert Street, was initially excited to hear about the party on her doorstep. "That's awesome," she said, before it dawned on her that noise might be a problem. "With the baby in the house, it might be kind of loud." The main stage will be placed on a concrete section on the east end of the museum's front plaza. The 3.6-hectare area has been designed to accommodate crowds of up to 20,000 people, giving them an unobstructed view of the stage against a postcard-perfect backdrop of the Parliament Buildings, complete with all the technical features required. Bluesfest's popular secondary stages would be set up on the west and north sides of the building, alongside the Ottawa River. There were four side stages at City Hall last summer. Ottawa musician and producer Dean Watson said he'd miss the ambience of the City Hall site's Black Sheep stage. And although the new site is next to bike paths and bus routes, he liked the old site's proximity to clubs in the Byward Market and on Bank Street. But he also recognized the need for an improved main-stage zone. "The problem with the downtown spot, the sightlines were tough and you couldn't get around a lot of the poles," Mr. Watson said. "It was cramped." The NCC is looking for input on naming the new site. The deadline for suggestions is Jan. 5. For more information, call 1-800-704-8227, 613-239-5555 or go to ncc-ccn.gc.ca. © The Ottawa Citizen 2006

Hey Velvet and Phorbesie...Ollie just told me you are going to The Musical Box show tonight! Man!! Looking forward to hear what you thought. I saw TMB close to 50 times now since 1996! We're going to see them in Montreal on December 15th. Hope you'll enjoy the show tonight! I think you will.