The time my words dig a hole out of which my best friend must climb.

If you pay special attention at 1:21, you can see John’s face when he subtly shakes his head as if to communicate to me, “YOU ARE MAKING IT WORSE”.

Not only the day that Trolley got hitched, but a chance to see Adam and Tomasini and Eric and Nick and Alison; the people I only get to hang out with when camping or partying at the farm. I missed Adam and his ever ebullient attitude most of all, something that never fails to buoy the spirits. Even though we didn’t get a chance to talk much through all the preparation, it was enough to hear his voice and laughter.

 

It was back to Stanley’s Maple Farm¹ for the outdoor wedding. The rain continued up to half an hour before the ceremony then stopped completely, as if god himself had a hand in ordainment.

You just need to look at the smile on Trolley’s face to understand how happy he is.

The reception was open bar, with prime rib and a dessert buffet at the end. I had been waiting over a year to have the prime rib dinner, as I was going through an undiagnosed case of IBS at Aaron’s wedding and was left eating bread. Even Pat, my gourmand friend, said that it was cooked to perfection, and found out that the venue has a deal with the farm up the road to get the best cuts of meat.

We surprised the newly wedded couple with the shoe game, where they answer a series of questions without knowing how the other one will answer. They surprised us with how many they answered in sync. A good sign for the newly wed.

 

Nick humourously noted that there weren’t many single girls around, but being able to hang out with Aaron in the MC booth made me feel much less awkward and abandoned than the last wedding I went to.

At one point, Trolley came up to me and asked me _____ __ _________ ____ _____. It was his wedding, but he was concerned about me. I couldn’t believe it even entered his mind with everything going on around him, and it was certainly the part I’ll remember most about that night.

1. The same place Aaron got married.

 

The third Emergence Exposition was the first summer show. With daylight coming through the house, and the doors and windows open, there was a different mood floating around. People also dressed lightly and in bright colours, adding to the sense of airiness.

Along with the mind-blowing visual artwork, there were performances by Con Brio, a string quartet, and Aura Giles, a modern flutist with huge lungs.

One of the most memorable parts of the night, however, was a performance of an original composition by John Alac, where he tells a story of a man about to be executed, using only his guitar. The number of different sounds he gets from plucking, tapping, scratching his strings is quite amazing, although what really blew my mind was the way he got the sound of a bell to toll at 4:06.

(You can watch this in High Definition on the Vimeo site. It looks much nicer.)

Concept

Some people ask me whether I feel more Chinese or Canadian. While some first-generation Canadians say that they’re neither, I feel like I’m both, because I appreciate and understand things from both cultures. I have the best of both worlds.

I already have a the hanzi character for “tao” on my right wrist, so I got the word “tao” on my left in English. This tattoo serves two purposes: as an expression of this dual heritage, and as another reminder for me to follow the tao.

The Operation

(Since Vimeo doesn’t support embedded HD videos yet, you can
watch me get inked in glorious High Definition on the Vimeo site. The quality is so good, you can see the needle!)

I went back to Jay at New Moon, who did an awesome job on my first tattoo. When I walked in, he had the latest Mars Volta album on, which I didn’t even know was out until that day. Most of the time was passed comparing them to Tool, two of our favourite bands¹.

Can you tell when he’s going over my artery? (Hint: I start to swear)

Typography

The three-letter word is written in Avenir. As the Humanist, sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Fruitiger (also used for the title and menu of this site), it’s my favourite font. Clean, sharp, minimalist, and legible. The most distinguishing part, as with most good fonts, is the double-story “a”, which increases legibility.

I had over a dozen variations, at different point sizes, kerning values, and weights. I wanted the weight, size, and position to balance with the one on my right wrist. In the end, I went with one that was 63.78 points, and the 35 “light” weight.

Spelling

I chose the Wade-Giles Romanization of “tao”. “dao” (the Pinyin Romanization), while commonly accepted nowadays, is too new for me to recognize it as the official spelling. “Dō”, the Cantonese/Japanese pronunciation, was also an idea, but it doesn’t carry the same connotation when relating it to “Taoism” because it’s not “Dōism” (in my mind, at least).

Another consideration was the capitalization. Most Taoist books capitalize tao as the “Great Way”, but I felt “tao” was less pretentious, especially since there’s no sense of capitalization in Chinese. It also balances the rest of the word out nicely, as the large “T” makes it look as if the word is about to topple over.

Popularity

In the last few months, the most popular searches to this site by far are for terms such as “tao tattoo”, “taoism tattoo”, “chinese wrist tattoo”, so it looks like people are seeking similar ideas. The most popular Taoist tattoo is the yin-yang by far, but it’s overdone now, even on people who don’t understand the concept.

I’ll have to accept the fact that more and more people are getting tattoos, and that as people try to unique, someone out there will eventually have the same one as me.

The Tao Tattoo Series

1. The Meaning
2. The Experience
3. The Background
4. Tattwo

1. Tool was a favourite until Lateralus came out, and I discovered Dream Theater. Ænima remains one of my top albums though.

One of the advantages of having such a lovable cat is that people want to buy her things. I make a conscious effort not to spoil her with human food, so she happily accepts toys and treats from people.

Like this bunny filled with catnip that Louise bought for her.

One thing she really likes to do is grab her catnip toys by the teeth and shake them to release the scent. I don’t give her catnip very often, so in stoner terms, this meas she’s a lightweight.

And oh how she loves it; within a few minutes, the fur of the toy is covered in cat drool.

After attending Opus 01, I knew I wanted to be a part of this.

John, as a true friend, flew from Toronto to be there for the night. Alex, who was doing a medical internship at a family practice in a nearby city, drove there. Even Pearl also dropped by and I got to meet her.

I was so busy talking with my guests that I didn’t even have time to go into the other rooms to see how the other artists were doing. The house was packed with people again, young and old.

Performances

Jacqueline’s second piece was Sonata in A Minor, by Franz Schubert (unfortunately, her first piece was over ten minutes long, which isn’t allowed on YouTube). I found it to be a rather masculine piece, beginning like a sombre funeral march, leading to a journey of bubbling emotion, so it was mesmerizing to see a girl play it with such conviction. Pay special attention to the burning trill at 5:28, which leads back to the main theme.

Misun told me that when she handed Jacqueline a rose after the performance, it looked like she had run a marathon.

Afterwards, Jacqueline told me after she couldn’t stop looking at my penis through her performance, then quickly corrected herself and said the penis picture, which was hung across from her.

Louise plays the harp by feeling only. She doesn’t have formal any musical training, so she doesn’t write any of her compositions down. It just flows from her fingers, and quite well I might add. As a result, her music is semi-improvised.

John kept telling us how not drunk he was, even though you can clearly seeing him downing glasses of wine in this video.

The after party

When the people left and the doors closed, the real party began for the artists, their guests, and the volunteers. Frédéric and Misun broke out the cold cuts, the fresh and fancy bread, the wine, the cheese and we celebrated a successful night. We had been standing for five hours, so it was time to take a break.

When Dan gave me a reading two years ago, and said that I would be making money off my art within the next 15 years, I never would have believed him.

I suppose that near the end of the video my sadistic side comes out when I start to laugh, or dare I say, enjoy hearing him scream.

“This is like true friendship”, he says, “Waxing your best friends back when you’ve got a Y-chromosome”.

I asked Julie to come to the show with me. I did it with trepidation, because I considered it a big favour, and felt like I didn’t know her well enough to ask. But Blake was out of town and she was going out on Saturday, so it just happened that she decided to keep her Friday free.

It pretty much saved me. When driving to the pub, I was hit with an anxiety attack, which I’ll elaborate on in another entry someday.

Julie was the perfect person to bring, I imagine because she has experience with people who suffer from anxiety. I told her I may suddenly want to leave at any point, possibly even on the way there. She told me she didn’t mind coming, she didn’t mind leaving, she didn’t even mind standing outside the pub with me for a couple minutes in -16°C weather while I mentally prepared myself. I owe her big time.

We played cards to get my mind off the anxiety. I taught her how to play Slapjack, she taught me how to play Egyptian War. It worked.

While waiting for the show to start, I gave Krista the large prints from the previous shows. Krista gave us some random Larry and Bob balloon stickers she found on the bus (Julie and I think they were from a deaf person). Julie also met Cory there, her schoolmate from horticulture college, and Krista’s sister.

At the first show, I told Shane he should make an acoustic version of his album. Since I paid him in person for a pre-release EP that night, he told me he did have an acoustic version and promised to give it to me. I asked him earlier this week if he could bring it, which he did, but he forgot it in his suitcase. Quite a pity, since he told me he was in the studio making sure he mixed it right for me. He felt terrible about it, and told me he’d mail it to me instead. March 14th is when the album officially comes out.

The sets were rather short. Shanker and Romps opened for them, a garage rockabilly duo. Our view of this performance was a bunch of people who were much taller than ourselves.

The highlight of the show was seeing Shane perform It’s A Drag (and getting a video of it!), my favourite song on the album. Krista did the backup vocals. This is the only time you’ll hear such a dulcet harmony from another awesome artist, certainly something you can only experience from a tour. Krista also got Cory up on stage for the Bumblebee Song as an encore.

Julie asked me if I still had a crush on Krista. I had to think about it for a little bit, and the fact that I had to think about it made me realize that I don’t anymore.

Other shows with Krista Muir and Shane Watt

1. At the Workshop Studio & Boutique
2. At Le Petit Salon des Arts
3. At Irene’s Pub

He used to be 25 pounds (from the previous owner who overfed him) but slimmed down to around 14 or 15, I’d say. You can tell he used to be much bigger; if you run your hand down the length of his body, you can feel the bones on his frame sticking out prominently, and there’s a fair amount of extra skin hanging from the belly.

He never got along with Dolly. For the entire time he was with me, which was just under two months, they got in about two dozen fights. Every now and then, there would be a tremendous cacophony of hissing, growling, meowing, and running from one end of the house to the other. I’d say that Sprocket was more often the aggressor, but Dolly started her share of fights. Even though she still has her back claws (Sprocket is completely de-clawed), he had a large weight and size advantage. His bite is also very strong (which I found out from feeding him treats¹), I’m guessing from all the practice he got from eating.

It made me re-think getting a second cat while Dolly’s still alive. Two cats can fill a house nicely, but she didn’t get along with him at all. Since they don’t know how old Sprocket is, the aggressiveness may simply be due to his age, but I’m not sure I want to take the chance.

In any case, I can tell he enjoyed the change of pace, which was living in a house with two parents, two kids, and two dogs, to just me and a cat. He’s a sucker for treats, meowing quietly as a “reminder” to give him one. One funny thing I noticed is that he seemed to have harder-than-average paws. When pacing around on the kitchen tiles before being fed, it would sound like a horse trot.

Sprocket also loves attention. No matter what I was doing — cooking breakfast, playing games upstairs, writing downstairs — he would follow me around. It did make my Tai Chi practice more difficult, as he’d spread out on the open carpet and roll around under my feet.

He loves to sleep on blankets, and would always fall asleep on my sheets when I was under them, most commonly near the feet. He got along especially well with Bronwen. When she stayed the night, he would keep her up by constantly walking over her body, looking for a warm place to nestle.

I’ll certainly miss him. Hopefully, he’ll remember me the next time I go over to Joel’s house.

1. I don’t think he was ever fed by hand; he would always nip my fingers when giving him a treat. Dolly is the opposite. She very delicately moves towards the treat with her mouth, and snatches the treat with her tongue.

As predicted, I left my house feeling nervous and excited, and put on my Top Rated playlist to distract myself. The music of Lederhosen Lucil has never touched me on a deeply intimate level, the way, say, a Leonard Cohen or Thrice song does, but it’s still remained very personal. I discovered L.L. at a time when I was feeling rather jaded from life. The music was silly, fun, and confident, so I embraced it with delightful hedonism. It lifted me when I was in a strange state of numbness and limbo.

 

 

 

I got there at what turned out to be an hour and a half early (though it was due to a mistake on the venue website), so I wandered the store until the show started, feeling like a fish out of water in a tiny room filled with handmade women’s clothing and jewelery. Though beautiful and impressively unique, they wouldn’t let me take pictures of anything¹.

As soon as I saw Krista alone, I began to hyperventilate, which was rather unexpected (I’m still getting over how hilariously embarrassing this was). I approached her and managed to spit out “Hi” in a whisper. I didn’t know what to say, so I just asked her to sign my CD (still whispering, unable to control the volume of my voice). I’m sure I’ll appreciate such a reaction in a couple years, as not many people can cause me to be so flustered².

After somewhat regaining my composure, we spoke. I asked her why she now performed as Krista Muir instead of Lederhosen Lucil, and she told me it was both an evolution and a change, although the L.L. isn’t gone yet. She gave me some more insight into her lyrics, told me about her past sugar addiction, and shared some details about upcoming project, which I probably shouldn’t reveal. I also found out that her collaboration with Shane was solidified with his willingness to wear silly costumes — of which she sewed herself — for the L.L. shows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amongst the handbags and the bibs, the jewelery and the underwear, the show began.

Shane opened with Where We Are Now, as well as a few other songs from his debut solo album³. It was so captivating (You can hear it on Shane’s MySpace) that I had to purchase an early copy of his CD, to be released in the new year. He promised to send me an official copy when it comes out, along with an acoustic version, as I commented on how great it sounded with just him and a guitar.

Several tracks off Krista’s latest album, Leave Alight, were performed. This is a clip of La Grenade, track six, and my favourite song on it so far.

Outside, the rain began to pour, and filled the place with a refreshing breeze. Even in a thick hoodie wrapped over my shirt, I was comfortably cozy amongst those who could appreciate the indie mixture of a ukulele, a guitar, a melody and a harmony. During the intermission, it was homemade cupcakes and sweetened tea. I had a chance to speak more with Krista and Shane, before Krista (who kept checking my watch) decided it was time to start playing again.

A few songs featured Krista on a funky electric instrument, of which I forget the name, but it added a very wonderfully rich sound to the minimal, folky acoustics (which can be heard in the last video). It’s seemed like more of a guitar than a piano; there’s a touch-strip that can be “strummed” at different speeds — like a pitch bender on a keyboard — while certain buttons are held for the notes.

It was an intimate night, casual and light-hearted. At one point, Shane started kicking his amp because it was humming like a possessed apparatus. Before the show ended, Krista included covers of It’s Gonna Be (Alright) by Ween, and Another Love Song by Queens of the Stone Age.

My brain was buzzing when I left. I don’t go to shows anymore cause I don’t like the scene⁴, but this was something else. Waiting at the bus stop, I couldn’t help but pace back and forth, filled with an electric energy. While much more calm and subdued than I expected, the music was touching all the same. It felt like I was part of something special, and a show I’ll never forget.

Other shows with Krista Muir and Shane Watt

1. At the Workshop Studio & Boutique
2. At Le Petit Salon des Arts
3. At Irene’s Pub

1. I’m guessing to protect the designs of the artists
2. Perhaps it was the strange feeling that Krista, who was now suddenly in front of me, had so unwittingly affected me, without ever even being aware of my existence. Or perhaps I was intimidated. I like to consider myself a creative person, but by no means a professional, earning a living off my creativity. Krista is, however, a born entertainer.
3. Off Grenadine Records, the same label as The “orchestral pop noir romantique” Dears
4. Exceptions are about half a dozen bands — Blonde Redhead, Dreamtheater, Portishead, Thrice, The Mars Volta, The Dwarves, etc. — for whom I’d brave anything too see live