Inconceivable.

Latest art installation in the house - a birthday present from the awesomely talented Nick!

"You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is never get involved in a land war in Asia - but only slightly less well-known is this: Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"

Snakes.

Hello, snakie.

Recently, I took some pictures of my friend, Jamie, with some snakes (ball pythons, to be specific), for her documentary project. 

Jokes about balls abound.

"Bumblebee Tuna! (Your balls are showing...)"

Talented Friends III.

Poster seen in the Remedy Cafe on Whyte.

Life is good.

On Thursday night, I headed to Metro Cinema in the old Garneau Theatre to catch a screening of part of my dear friend Jamie's documentary. So exciting to see her vision realized on the big screen! A twelve minute segment on bison played before a screening of Avatar as part of the U of A's Educated Reel film series.

It was mind-boggling to see footage we shot together at Elk Island Park of Plains Bison, and hear us giggling like school girls over a particularly fuzzy buffalo wiggling his ears in the outtakes. Equally crazy to see my name roll across the credits.

So intensely proud of J and all she's accomplished so far. Things only look up from here!

Talented Friends II.

My friends are awesome.

In this installment, the talented one is my friend, Nick. He's an artist extraordinaire; co-editor of The Anthology Project, illustrator of graphic novels, and concept artist for video games. He's got a brand-spanking new webcomic debuting, The Songsmith's Heartland, that you should all check out. I think it's gonna be grand.

Hearts.

If you haven't checked out Kate's blog, lady business, you should. It's excellent.

She has a regular feature that I love called "on my way too..." where she documents neat things she encounters on her way to different places. I love her way of showcasing the special things that we often miss because we're blinded by the mundane.

Taking a page from her book.. err... blog, I thought I would share something that I found on my way to my parents house.

The little girl next door drew hearts on every side walk section in the cul-de-sac!

Does that brighten your day, or what?

Talented Friends.

I have some seriously awesome, talented friends.

In a past post, I mentioned some friends of mine who were involved in Edmonton's theatre festival, getting some great reviews on their shows!

Also, my dear friend Dominique (you can find her blog on the side) just returned from Portugal after representing Canada at an Underwater Hockey Worlds tournament! (Yes, it is a sport. You should look it up!)

And just last night, my friend Jamie launched her website for her up-and-coming wildlife documentary project. We live in a pretty awesome world, and she is making it her mission to give us some insights into just how awesome, quirky, funny, and down right cool the things we share it with can be.

Expect some fan-freaking-tastic video footage shot by myself to be appearing soon, as well as some of my pictures!

Pictures like this young Rocky Mountain
Big Horn Sheep!

Fringe.

Ahh. The Fringe. Edmonton's annual theatre festival (this 30th edition is known as "Fringeopolis") is a time of plays around the Whyte Ave area, street performers, midways, and my favorite... Mini Donuts.


Mmmmmm.

This year I managed to make it to only two shows (due to all the wedding activities and a quick mid-weektrip to Golden). I have several friends in the theatre community, and I try to make it out to at least some of their shows, but it's not always possible.

Last week, I saw the fabulous production of BoyGroove. If you have ever enjoyed the music of a boy band, you would love this show. It followed the highs and lows of a fictional boy band with deadly accuracy, hip-swiveling choreography, pop-y tunes and belly-shaking laughs. A fantastic, worthwhile show! (And held over until this weekend! Check it out!)

Last night, I went and saw my friend Stef's play, No Choking Matter, which was a funny, campy romp about the Heimlich Maneuver (who would have thought J-thrusts could be so funny?). It was full of snappy one liners, awkward characters, and even a shirt-ripping scene. I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was disgustingly hot in the theatre. (In addition to being a very talented actress, Stef is also an awesome baker. Check out her food blog here!)

I always like to head to Whyte Ave early, try to find a decent parking spot, pick up my tickets at the box office, and wander around enjoying the atmosphere before the show start.

The midway at the Fringe has always seemed a bit sad to me. It's tucked away at the back, away from the stages and children's performers that might attract riders. The rides are a bit sad looking, and the carnies who tend them can be downright frightening. I actually heard one carnie refer to his ride as "this motherf*cker"... Pretty sure that's not going to help draw in the family crowd...



Empty Ferris Wheel