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Taking stock of the year that was.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012 10:14 pmWhat a wonderful year 2011 was! So many events, experiences and occurrences, woven together 365 times into a colourful tapestry of joy, too many to possibly list in their entirety here.
But where to begin? Well, my lovely lady and I officially started seeing each other (romantically-speaking - we had seen each other many times before over the past couple of years), but this relationship was terrifyingly new a year ago. So much of what I have experienced since then has been with her by my side. I can't say thank-you enough ...
In January, we saw Brian Eno give a lecture at the Vogue Theatre, a combination of both personal stories and world histories as interpreted by the man himself. The man is a wonder, an integral part of music for the last 40 or so years. Orkestar Slivovica also found itself in the studio, recording its first official album.
In February I was fortunate to be a part of Dusty Flowerpot's production of the Hard Times Hit Parade, an original musical/theatrical production inspired by the dance marathons that took place during the Depression Era. Musically-speaking, this was a particular highlight of the year for me. In April we were at the Rio Theatre for the Vancouver Poetry Slam Finals, the opening event of the inaugural Vancouver International Poetry Festival, which saw Mike McGee, Shane Koyczan and C.R. Avery reunited on stage. May was also the month of Orkestar Slivovica's largest Ederlezi shows yet, two nights of amazing music and dance, this year with special guests Orkestar Zirkonium from Seattle and Brass Menazeri from California (San Francisco, I think?).
For a week in June we helped build a city in miniature on the floor of the Cultch as part of Home Sweet Home, an imaginative undertaking limited only by the imaginations of the participants, complete with radio station and a postal service; we still have the semi-trendy townhouse (mine) and East Vancouver Crack Shack (hers) that we built. Throughout the spring and summer we visited the Vancouver Art Gallery and enjoyed the Surrealist Exhibit that was on display there. I practically swooned with near-religious delight upon being able to behold Salvador Dali's Lobster Phone. I was also able to see the Vancouver Folk Festival for the first time (again, thanks to my lady - how could I have possibly lived in this city for 20 years and not attended the Folk Fest until now??), an experience I intend to repeat this coming year.
In the fall Vancouver had its own occupation at the Art Gallery, part of a larger movement that had started earlier in the year, known now as the Arab Spring, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, protesting government corruption and corporate welfare; my lady and I visited the encampments multiple times, and while visiting the People's Library she was given a copy of poetry by Rumi by a random stranger. In November we were back at the Vogue for Neil Gaiman and Amanda Fucking Palmer's show, over four hours of music, stories, poems. There's no way to describe just how magical, how enchanting that night was, how spellbound we all were: if you were there, then you know.
Our band once again put on show after brilliant show, both here in the city and in various spots throughout the province, which we will no doubt repeat again in 2012.
And again, so much with her, my lady, my love; the colour that binds my painting together. We danced our way through so many wonderful evenings in this past year, both literally and figuratively; no doubt we'll do it again this year.
I felt some sadness, saying farewell to such a wonderful year, but I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me, for us, for you. Embrace this time with a sense of wonder reserved for children and saints. It is yours.
Happy New Year!
But where to begin? Well, my lovely lady and I officially started seeing each other (romantically-speaking - we had seen each other many times before over the past couple of years), but this relationship was terrifyingly new a year ago. So much of what I have experienced since then has been with her by my side. I can't say thank-you enough ...
In January, we saw Brian Eno give a lecture at the Vogue Theatre, a combination of both personal stories and world histories as interpreted by the man himself. The man is a wonder, an integral part of music for the last 40 or so years. Orkestar Slivovica also found itself in the studio, recording its first official album.
In February I was fortunate to be a part of Dusty Flowerpot's production of the Hard Times Hit Parade, an original musical/theatrical production inspired by the dance marathons that took place during the Depression Era. Musically-speaking, this was a particular highlight of the year for me. In April we were at the Rio Theatre for the Vancouver Poetry Slam Finals, the opening event of the inaugural Vancouver International Poetry Festival, which saw Mike McGee, Shane Koyczan and C.R. Avery reunited on stage. May was also the month of Orkestar Slivovica's largest Ederlezi shows yet, two nights of amazing music and dance, this year with special guests Orkestar Zirkonium from Seattle and Brass Menazeri from California (San Francisco, I think?).
For a week in June we helped build a city in miniature on the floor of the Cultch as part of Home Sweet Home, an imaginative undertaking limited only by the imaginations of the participants, complete with radio station and a postal service; we still have the semi-trendy townhouse (mine) and East Vancouver Crack Shack (hers) that we built. Throughout the spring and summer we visited the Vancouver Art Gallery and enjoyed the Surrealist Exhibit that was on display there. I practically swooned with near-religious delight upon being able to behold Salvador Dali's Lobster Phone. I was also able to see the Vancouver Folk Festival for the first time (again, thanks to my lady - how could I have possibly lived in this city for 20 years and not attended the Folk Fest until now??), an experience I intend to repeat this coming year.
In the fall Vancouver had its own occupation at the Art Gallery, part of a larger movement that had started earlier in the year, known now as the Arab Spring, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, protesting government corruption and corporate welfare; my lady and I visited the encampments multiple times, and while visiting the People's Library she was given a copy of poetry by Rumi by a random stranger. In November we were back at the Vogue for Neil Gaiman and Amanda Fucking Palmer's show, over four hours of music, stories, poems. There's no way to describe just how magical, how enchanting that night was, how spellbound we all were: if you were there, then you know.
Our band once again put on show after brilliant show, both here in the city and in various spots throughout the province, which we will no doubt repeat again in 2012.
And again, so much with her, my lady, my love; the colour that binds my painting together. We danced our way through so many wonderful evenings in this past year, both literally and figuratively; no doubt we'll do it again this year.
I felt some sadness, saying farewell to such a wonderful year, but I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me, for us, for you. Embrace this time with a sense of wonder reserved for children and saints. It is yours.
Happy New Year!
