Inside Kat's World

Weeee! Update!

2007-12-15T23:57:00.000-05:00

Great goddess! Has it really been more than a year since I've been on here? Wow... Scary...

2 KaDee Strickland walls, 1 Lena.

Title: Soft Focus
Picture: KaDee-Strickland.org
Font: BreastBomb

Working Title: Spirit
Picture: KaDee-Strickland.org
Font: LaineDaySH
Textures: agnes bean, Orchidee, vered

Title: Sunburst
Picture: Lena-Olin.com
Font: Edwardian Script ITC
Texture: Jaimie

Save My Soul/Torri

2006-12-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

Save My Soul looks so good! I can't wait to see it come out! That and Yumi in Love!! Torri looks so good in the both of them.

Anyways, here are the icons I made a couple of nights ago.

2 Lena and 13 Torri.

01.	02.	03.
04.	05.	06.
07.	08.	09.
10.	11.	12.
13.	14.	15.

Back from the dead

2006-01-15T18:44:00.000-05:00

Well... guess what? I guess I didn't forget about this poor thing for too long. *giggles* I'm permanently using this as my fanart update blog (linking the posts to my GJ).

Before I forget, I would like to say I don't usually reply to comments here (but they are nice!) so I will try harder now.

Just two things today. Both of Stargate: Atlantis. God I love this show.

Don't forget to credit if you use them!

Title: Never Forget
Picture: Atlantica
Textures: Creativity Pixelfied, Honeypot
Font: Adorable

Title: Tragic Love
Picture: Atlantica
Brushes: Muse-Driven
Textures: colorfilter
Font: Old Script

Banner and last av

2005-06-20T16:34:00.000-04:00

And it continues....

Title: Irina - Alias, season 2
Pictures: Lena OnLINe, LenaOlin.net
Credit goes to Leslie (from AllAlias) for her amazing "shaky cam" animation tut. That's what the effect is for all of you who can't see.

That's it for the avs... unless I find more amongst the virtual clutter on my desktop.

And here are some banners I made for the AllAlias Content Guide. Like the avs, if you want to use them, please ask me first.

First, here are the credits all together.

Pictures: AliasMedia, cap_it, Two Evil Monks
Brushes: Muse-Driven
Textures: agnes bean, The Blooming Effect, Digital Bristle, Dim Bulb, Inferno Sprite, Jems, krisreine, mine, Tippy, TRE
Fonts: 4 Magic DNA, Book Antiqua, Dark Crystal Script, Donny�s Hand, Federation, FT NihilistPhilosophy, Georgia Ref, Old Script, Young Love
Quote: 4.03 The Awful Truth, 2.01 Enemy Walks In, 4.18 Mirage

Long overdue update - avs today

2005-06-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

Yep! Way overdue! LOL, I'm a little slacker when it comes to updating anything. Lots of stuff to share.

Let's start with avatars. Feel free to borrow them as you tell me that you're using them. (Some ancient ones... some recent ones)

(#1)
Category: Other
Pictures: Google search
Brushes: Annika von Holdt
Font: Elegant

(#2) - Miniaturized from a wallpaper
Title: Dear Yannick
Category: TV - Shows - Sue Thomas:F.B.Eye - Celebrities - Yannick Bisson
Picture: Googe search
Texture: Jaimie (Renegade Tear)
Font: Scriptina

(#3)
Category: TV - Shows - Alias - Season 4
Pictures: Official Alias Site
Font: TopSecret

(#4)
Title: Santa Jack
Categories: TV - Shows - Sue Thomas:F.B.Eye - Seasonal
Picture: PAX, Google
Textures: Evenstar, Jems
Font: Dominican Small Caps

(#5)
Category: TV - Specials - Concert - Tsunami Relief
Pictures: Mine
Fonts: 04b24, Faktos

(#6)
Category: TV - Shows - Stargate:SG-1 - 4.06 Window of Opportunity
Picture: Abydos Gate
Font: Dominican

(#7)
Category: TV - Shows - Alias - Characters - Irina Derevko
Picture: No idea.... Argghh!!
Font: Uncle Typewriter

(#8)
Title: Beloved Spy!Daddy
Picture: Jaimie
Texture: Foley's Resources
Brushes: Muse-Driven
Text: Mine

(#9)
Title: Love
Picture: LenaOlin.net
Font: 4 Magic DNA
Textures: Jems (Broken)

TBC.

Media Update (Part 1)

2004-12-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm gonna go crazy!!!! (I'm so glad I have the info saved in a txt file! :D )

Title: When You’re Gone
Created: August 19, 2004
Pictures: Two Evil Monks, Vartanho
Brushes: None
Textures: Kris
Fonts: Elegant, FrederationStarfleet (from a Star Trek font download file), Georgia Ref, RichardMurray
Lyrics: When You’re Gone ~ Richard Marx

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Title: Untimely Demise
Created: August 22, 2004
Pictures: Alias Media, Vartanho
Brushes: N/A
Textures: TRE
Fonts: Impact
Text: Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Prologue

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Title: Final Words
Created: August 23, 2004
Pictures: Two Evil Monks
Brushes: N/A
Textures: Bedazzling
Fonts: Faktos, Lucida Bright
Text: season 2, episode 22: The Telling

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Media Update

2004-12-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie today.

Pictures: AboutAlias, Google search
Brushes: Imagination
Texture: Bedazzling, Evenstar, Krisreine, TRE
Font: Brooklyn Kid, Comic Sans MS, Dominican Small Caps, Impact, Top Secret

2004-11-18T21:06:00.000-05:00

Ugh... I'm so goddamn moody today that I'm not even going into the SC chatroom. I'd probably do something I'll regret.

Holy crap was I pissed today. It's the day for the honour ceremony and the whole freaking reason why I didn't get to go is cuz my stupid Comm Tech teacher screwed up my mark. Grrr...

That' my vent for the day.

2004-11-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

*yawn*

Ugh... I think my brains are fried. This week has been such a bad week and I have a feeling that it's not gonna be any better next week.

For starters, Monday was ok but on Tues? Grr... 1) It was raining so I decided not to bike to school (should've), 2) Mom, the first human contact of the morning, decided to yell at me for no apparent reason... Yeesh, at least let me finish some hw first or something, 3) I was late for school cuz I missed 2, yes two, buses (the 172 and then the 174 and then the 172 again). I took a joy ride on the 95 though, semi-fun but I was scared half-to-death cuz I was gonna be late... and I was!

Weds, better, but no by much... Then Thurs, had a hw quiz and my hw was all missing!!!! *gasp* Go figure. Heh, Ms. Alexander, my chem teach, is the the best. I think she's funny without knowing sometimes. God bless her.

Anyways, I think it might have something to do with that little spoken spell/prayer I did on Samhain. Goddess, this isn't very nice. I'll do a proper ritual/spell next time if I can, k?

Other news, IRF (Irina's Russian Federation) has a few new recruits! It's so fun having that!!

Oh, and I borrow Kathleen Edward's CD, Failure. It is awesome, just like the real appearance!!

2004-10-08T13:17:00.000-04:00

Bah... How is it even possible to do two and some projects for school if I don't even have internet on non-Sundays... only for two hours.... then have to go to a friend's on Sat for Turkey Day?????? Arrrggghhhh!!!!!!!!

*shrug* I'm think that I should set up my xanga thingy for my Alias FF but dunno... It's kind weird. I so need to learn how to make a form so that they could just post on my site. Oooo! That's an idea!!
Anyways, later.

2004-10-05T19:42:00.000-04:00

I was gonna post during school *audible gasps all around* but I didn't. :) LOL. I'm doing my social change summative project on internet communities and the pros/cons, is it a culture... stuff like that. It's sooo cool!!!!!!!!!

*evil laugh* And now all my online friends will be my guinea pigs... Oops, did I just say that outloud?

2004-10-04T19:52:00.000-04:00

Isn't the new layout nice? I still need to fix it up and stuff but still.

Short post today. Just wanted to say that my site is up and running. I'm updating when I have time. It's real nice!! TTFN! :)

2004-09-23T20:02:00.000-04:00

WOW! I haven't been here for like forever!! I really should update more often.

Anyways, I've got this cold/allergies double-whammy plus a high temp. Not good... I think my whole school's got it. But it may be in part that I need more sleep. Heehee...

The good news is that I get 2 hours Mon-Sat for internet!! Yay!! 7pm EST to 9pm EST... and I wasn't gonna have any so I'm happy!!! Plus, that way I don't have to check my forum stuff all at school.. that's WAY too chaotic.

I'm rebuilding my website. Since I've got webspace on AA I'm working on there first then my geocities one (though they both have awesome entries!! LOL)

Had an accounting test this morning and I knew everything 'cept the GAAP for the Conservatism concept. I kinda just wrote down the feeling. Yesterday I had an English quote quiz on Act I of Macbeth.. I know I have a few wrong there. Then tomorrow... chem. All the different types of bonding are confusing me. :(

I made like a whole bunch of new stuff. I'll find 'em and display 'em on Sunday. I have more internet time then. :D TTFN!!

2004-09-04T21:44:00.000-04:00

Soo close to the long weekend and before school. Many mixed feelings cuz I love going back to school but at the same time... no internet!! *sniff* I'm gonna cry.

OK, just a short entry tonight. Laters.

2004-08-26T14:43:00.000-04:00

*humungous yawn* I dunno why I'm so tired! Must be cuz I'm sick. After a whole week on non-typical Ottawa summer weather (15-20ºC) I almost froze to death while I slept! Geesh... Maybe it's cuz I like the window open for the fresh air? *shrug*

Anyways, I went to the annual locker frenzy today. (Dad got mad cuz I asked for a $50 cheque this morn instead of before that. Pff... I didn't need it today, I could've asked for it on the first day of school. Yeesh...) Got the same locker as last year, #2239. :D LOL, I dunno why.

*rolls eyes* OK, I have Antropology, Psychology, and Sociology; Intro the Financial Accounting; Chem; and English 1st semester. Physics; Gr.12 programming; 3U math; and Drama 2nd semester. Pretty good but I might be pretty dead in the morning for 2nd. *cheeky grin*

FYI: I haven't felt like making wallys lately so no new ones. Not even inspired by others so I'll see what I can do. Need to download pics and stuff for school year so that I can. *innocent look* But I've been fixing up http://insidekatsworld.tk and designing http://allalias.com/~insidekatsworld/index.php. Very pretty entries for both now. I guess I need to work on the interior eh? Heehee.

Late night... yawn

2004-08-25T00:21:00.000-04:00

Yep, it's getting real late for me. I'm kinda tired. Have a few things to say before I sleep though..

Where are my muses? One minute they're here, the next they're gone. First they like each other, then they hate each other. What's up????? C'mon guys, you can't always win.

http://insidekatsworld.tk ~ my beautiful entry page is up! (The rest sucks, don't go look that that. I didn't even update the coundowns for this week.)

Anyways, I was worrying over that fact that my $10 USD might have gotten lost in the mail but guess what? Charlie got it!! w00t! Charlie aka the genius behind http://forums.allalias.com makes people platinium members just for contributing to his (her?) cause ($$ for the server costs and stuff) *hugs* Thanks Charlie! Now I've got another place to build a beautiful webpage... better get cracking!

I think that's it. Oh and Brenda, from SC, is co-authoring a fic! Yeah! Go Bren! You rock girl! I'm sure you'll do fine. *thumbs up*

OK, I dunno if Han actually reads this but... if you do... I'm not posting more than two a day!!!! LOL, I'm done the 2nd last chapter to "Love and Hate"... beautiful story, I'm so sad it's finishing up, no more Alias/STFBE characters being non-cooperative. Just STFBE. I think my Alias characters apprecitate me more.. Heh heh.

Nite! (or is it morning???)

Woohoo! It works!!

2004-08-17T18:45:00.000-04:00

Yeah! It works!! Par-tay!!

Anyways, I had to go volunteering today so I didn't get to see the 1000th page of the Gartan thread. :( It was already at page 1005 when I got on (when I left last night it was 995). And I didn't win Sarah McLachlan tickets (she's playing tonight at the Corel Centre) and I missed the CJOH thing at lunch cuz I was at a volunteer luncheon so I didn't get a chance to win Alanis Morrisette tickets (she's playing at the NAC either tomorrow or the day after). I totally missed out yesterday cuz I forgot the number that I had to call. Oops.

Anyways, got a new wally. Don't really like it tho. Took me hours to get it like this.

Title: My Deepest Regrets
Pictures: Alias Media, Two Evil Monks
Texture: Watery Ocean (mine, yep I made one)
Font: Elegant
Lyrics: Dirty Little Secret ~ Sarah McLachlan

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Long time...

2004-08-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

*swears insanely at blogger* Stupid thing isn't posting today. I won't rewrite my schpeel cuz I forgot. Have a pretty wally for ya tho. 2 even. :)

ETA: Deleted a partial double post. ~ Kat (Aug 21,2004)

Title: The Forbidden Kiss
Pictures: Two Evil Monks
Texture: None
Brushes: None
Font: Georgia Ref, Scriptina
Lyrics: Take Me Home Tonight ~ Eddie Money

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:)

Long time...

2004-08-15T17:56:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Long time no see... LOL.

Anyways, yesterday Sav came back! I was, like, so happy! Weird eh? I never met these people yet I worry and miss 'em. *shrug* Han's being hounding me about "Love and Hate"... Rome wasn't built in a day but I keep on getting distracted. It's weird. I've got a couple of pages left to type up then I have to finish the chapter/story. With that big Alias-esque cliffhanger. God, they'll all kill me after that, LOL, cuz I'm gonna need a break to get used to the new school system.

Yep, we're going semestered this year. It'll be both scary and challenging. I hope I'll survive with great grades. Need to convince my parents that I can play rugby, it makes my post-secondary resume look good... of course, they can't see that. All they think works is 100%'s... yeah right. Things are different from 20-30 years ago compared to now, they really need to do their research. And they think I don't. *snorts*

Well, I made a new wally again. I think it's my most popular one. See below. :)

Title: You’ll Still Be Burning Bright
Pictures: Two Evil Monks
Brushes: None
Texture: None
Font: Harrington, Impact, LaineDay, Scriptina, Times New Roman
Lyrics: Answer ~ Sarah McLachlan

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New Wallys...

2004-08-04T17:23:00.000-04:00

LOL, got inspired yesterday and made the pink wally, then I made another today. Both pictures from Alias eppy "Full Disclosure" cuz I was wondering what the ep was about (*blush* I forgot). Now, lessee...

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Pretty eh? *smile*

Anyways, last night I had a near death experience. It felt kinda like I was dreaming that I was drowning but I could breathe. My energy was getting sapped away and my legs got heavier and heavier. Brr... very scary. Basically, it was depression pressing me down to my lowest. I even wrote a death letter, maybe I'll post it some day.

Well... cya! SKSK

More Alias siggy!

2004-07-29T20:29:00.000-04:00

Yes, more! You know I love making these!! I'm gonna put one on my siggy for SC. The other one's getting bland.

Banner #1 (says hell)

Banner #2 (doesn't say hell)

Banner #3 (different version of #1)

Banner #4 (different version of #2)

That's all for today! I'm heading off to go shower and then watch Last Comic Standing's wild card show. I hope Jay won...

Bouncing off the walls!!

2004-07-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

I'm a little nuts!!! I am practically bouncing off the walls!! Why? Cuz I wasn't able to go on the internet for, like, about a week so I am completely off!!! *sings* If I was a ball, I'd be bouncing off the wall....

OK, I promised the article.... voila! (I'd like to say, before the article, that Tim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo fame sang "Hockey Skates" with Kathleen at Bluesfest. It was wonderful!! Kathleen kissed him and when he got off stage she went (singingly), "I got to kiss Tim Cuddy..." *grin*)

Kathleen Edwards

Failer Passes With Honors

By Rick Cornell

As showcased on her full-length debut Failer, there's a disarming directness to the songwriting of Ottawa, Ontario's Kathleen Edwards. It's a characteristic that's in line with her breathy, on-the-verge-of-soaring voice, which is like an arrow humming toward your heart or whichever body part she's aiming for. It turns out that Edwards displays the same directness in conversation, and I'm not ashamed to say that it disarms the hell out of me during the 30 minutes we spend on the phone. It's not that I require much winning over: Failer, released in Canada last year and just out in the U.S. on Rounder, was one of my favorite albums from last year. And thanks to this double-release loophole, it may very well end up as one of my favorite albums of this year, too.

"I find people sometimes are surprised that I'm as open as I am lyrically about certain things," says Edwards, both discussing and demonstrating that directness. "To me, it just seems that I don't know any other way of writing." She doesn't keep a journal or a little notebook of ideas, so her thoughts travel unfiltered to her songs. "I usually have a melody idea or a lyrical idea, but I'm sitting down playing guitar and I apply it [the idea] later. And then the song comes after that," is how Edwards describes the way her songs are typically born. "Songs usually start out as one-liners for me."

Edwards' love for music can be traced back to her parents, with a mother who's a classical pianist and father who played Gordon Lightfoot covers in clubs while in college. She recalls Christmases spent around the piano; her parents even met while performing in a choir. And her parents' Foreign Services work made her childhood that much more interesting, courtesy of time spent living in Europe and Asia. It's not exactly the same as Kasey Chambers experiencing the Wild Thornberry life with her family in the Outback, but Edwards did face a similar lack of exposure to commercial radio and popular music during those formative years. Instead, she was immersed in violin lessons. "One thing that happened when I was quite young is that I wasn't exposed to pop radio," Edwards explains. "Growing up overseas, there's American Forces Radio, but we really didn't listen to it that much. Playing the violin was sort of that one consistent thing through all the moving from country to country."

When she finally did start absorbing something other than the classical music that dominated the house, it was the Bob Dylan and Neil Young records that her brother played, calling those revelatory LPs "the first kind of 'real music' that I listened to that wasn't classical." Not surprisingly, she picked up an acoustic guitar soon after. There are much worse things on which to cut one's musical teeth, and the literate, richly detailed writing style of Dylan and Young's roots, rock and folk blend echo in Edwards' work. Failer also can bring to mind early Suzanne Vega with shades of Lucinda Williams, as well as Aimee Mann by way of Freedy Johnston or Ryan Adams.

Those are all hip (and, other than Adams, completely unsubstantiated) inspirations, but Edwards is forthright enough to swing open her closet door and reveal the musical skeletons hunkered down within. "I remember coming home from one posting. I was probably 9 or 10, and of course all the girls at that time were listening to New Kids on the Block and Tiffany," confesses Edwards. "So, you know, I'm guilty of the association. I had a couple New Kids on the Blocks tapes." And a New Kids on the Block show was her first concert experience, although she couldn't really make out the Kids from her and her good-sport mother's nosebleed seats.

Edwards didn't brave a stadium show for more than 10 years after that, her desire to see the Wallflowers finally leading her to a new arena on the outskirts of Ottawa where they were opening for John Mellencamp. "And I hated it," Edwards reveals. "Not because I didn't like the music, but I hated the venue. It's not just that venue; I hate seeing music in a stadium."

I have no doubt that Edwards and her band will be big enough to play stadiums someday, but the music on Failer is too intimate to be considered arena-ready. Her stories make you want to shush the people at your table and pull your chair up closer to the stage, not pump your fist and spill a $6 beer. Much of her music does have a roots-rock crispness, but it's best played out in clubs with gravel parking lots and beer in pint glasses (not plastic cups) and a lot of wood and maybe even a coal stove throwing off some serious heat. Don't ask me to explain it, but Edwards' songs seem to be constructed of gravel and pint glasses and wood, and then warmed over a coal stove.

Maybe it's the place, physically and mentally, where a lot of those songs were written. "I'd written 'Six O'Clock News' and 'Hockey Skates,' and I kind of knew that I was able to write songs and that I was potentially able to write more songs that I'd be proud of," Edwards recalls. "But I was never able to sit down and focus and do it." She then moved out of the city of Ottawa, not that far from the house in rural Quebec where she lives now. The move, and the absence of phones ringing and TVs beckoning that came with it, enabled the self-described "sucker for visual distractions" to resume writing. "Suddenly it was like I had all this time on my hands, and it [Failer] just kind of came out."

What immerged was a confident, involving and ultimately revealing collection of songs. "Every song has a part of me in it - not necessarily something that happened to me, but maybe an observation that I had about someone else." The gorgeous "Hockey Skates," spotlighting a narrator on the verge of surrender, builds its chorus around a hockey metaphor, while in the equally striking "One More Song the Radio Won't Like," Edwards makes the line "Johnny Rocket Star / Picked up a girl at the bar" sound like a hipster nursery rhyme. The feisty, near-mocking "Westby" chronicles a young woman's affair with an older, married man. It teams up with "Maria," which opens in a pleasing tangle of loud electric and slide guitar, to offer the album's most rocking one-two punch.

"Six O'Clock News" (the album's opener and the tune she performed on her mid-January network TV debut on The Late Show) and "The Lone Wolf" are the only two cuts that truly qualify as story songs. "'Six O'Clock News' was definitely a song that I made up," offers Edwards. "But it was based on a lot of shit that was going on in the area, with husbands holding wives in their houses with children next to them and guns and shit like that." It's a modern, seemingly preordained, tragedy with a telling mid-song couplet that foreshadows doom while also giving the album its title: "And I know your mama calls you good for noth / She says her baby's a failer, and she don't want you callin'."

From their stripped-down, cabin-feverish beginnings, the songs then evolved into band versions with fleshed-out arrangements that Edwards had already been hearing in her mind's ear, featuring everything from pedal steel accents to brass parts and vibes. (It's worth noting that a key member of the band for the album is fellow Ottawan Jim Bryson, a well-respected singer/songwriter and an early booster of Edwards.) "When I wrote them, in my head I kind of knew how I wanted them to sound in the end," she says. "I had an idea of arrangements and instruments that I wanted to use, you know, back-up vocals here and string arrangements there. I had already had time to think about how it was going to come together. And in the end, I think it came together exactly how in my head I had hoped it would."

Edwards considers that statement for a couple of seconds before continuing. "I guess I don't mean every single part. I think what I mean is I had a general sense of what kind of song I was writing and, in the end, what kind of record I wanted to make. Or maybe the better way to say it is what kind of record I didn't want to make." The result is far, far from a failer.

Kathleen Edwards

2004-07-20T20:59:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm obsessed with Kathleen but... she's a really good artist!! I'll post the whole thing tomorrow or something. I have to go watch "Last Comic Standing" and I'm late!!

http://www.amplifiermagazine.com/35_Feature_kathleenedwards.shtml

And this is cool too! I made it, btw.

2004-07-19T19:43:00.000-04:00

WOW!! I just realized I wrote a ton! Heh.... Well... there's one more thing. I'm gonna write an Alias story that's a spin-off of "Work and Play" & "Love and Hate" and I'm obviously gonna continue with another STFBE fanfic continuation of those two. I have soo much fun writing! And now I get to write about my fav show too?? Awesome!

Oh... and I just mowed the grass for the first time. Kinda lame-sounding but it seemed like an "entering manhood" ritual or something. Heh... if it was, my bros soo didn't pass. I had to mow their parts too cuz they were so messy. Girl Power!!

The Weekend of the Last Weekend of Bluesfest

2004-07-19T16:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's a long title... whatcha gonna do about it? Exactly.

[BTW, my stuff got deleted cuz I hit back, so... this might not be as good.]

I had one of the funnest weekends ever! Did an 11-3 shift on Sat at Bluesfest. Totally fun! I was working at main gate checking for tickets (stamping peeps for 'em), stamps and wristbands. Made a coupla new friends along the way. I have a nice tan now. Fam had a BBQ dinner so I couldn't stay longer but would've if I could.

On Sun, I had the same shift. Was the guardian of the stuff at the Alternate's section 'til like one or something. Then I headed over to main gate to do the same stuff as yesterday (checking for stuff). Was, like, totally awesome!! We had a par-tay and ate lots of food back at Alternates at around 3ish. There was egg sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, macrononi (or however you spell it) salad, spanich dip with mini pita breads, grapes, and raw veggies w/ salad dressing. Mmm Mmm! Then I headed back to main gate to "guard" some more until, like, 5ish and I went to see an Ottawan act, the Tony D Band w/ Trevor Finaly & Roxanne Potvin. Roxanne is soo AWESOME!!!! I mean, she is really really good.

Then I stuck around to see the main person I wanted to see the whole Bluesfest.... Kathleen Edwards!! Such talent there!! I was only a few (4-5) rows of ppl from the stage so I had a real good view!! Man, you can't get better free seats than that!! Of course, something more amazing was... I was standing beside Kathleen's mom!! *squeals* Isn't that cool???? *grins* I was very happy yesterday. (And it was not just cuz I didn't have to stand my annoying bros all day!! But that was still kewl.)

Oh... and I made my first wallpaper the other day. Forgot to show off here. Hang on...

Title: Plane Chit-Chat and Thanks (A Dark Turn)
Pictures: Alias Media, Two Evil Monks
Texture: None
Brushes: Fuzzball!!!
Font: Courier New
Words: Plane Scene... Need I say more?

Pretty cool huh? I was getting a major "aww..." moment while watching that clip (Jack and Irina's little chat in A Dark Turn) from "Two Evil Monks". Actually it was from the Catacombs, which is really an awesome place to watch clips of Alias. The site is just amazing on it's own. I love the quirky comments they use to explain the eps!! Heh heh... very amusing...

Anyways... I think that's it. No... there's another wp I wanted to show off then the lovely article dedicated to the last day of the Bluesfest. First, the wp...

Title: Almost Tangible
Pictures: Sue's Crew, PAX
Texture: TRE
Brushes: Fuzzball!!!
Fonts: Georgia, Scriptina
Lyrics: "Stupid" by Sarah McLachlan

And the article...

Singing the festival's praises
What better way to celebrate Bluesfest, writes Lynn Saxberg, than to distribute special festival awards.

Lynn Saxberg, With files from Patrick Langston
The Ottawa Citizen

Monday, July 19, 2004

Festival kingpin Mark Monahan deserves an award for his calm reassurance at a news conference last week that the final weekend of Ottawa's Bluesfest would not be affected by the last-minute cancellation of a sister event in Toronto.

We'll call it the poker-face award.

The 42-year-old impresario didn't flinch when he told reporters there would be no changes to the lineup in Ottawa -- unless, he added later, artists decided to hang around an extra day.
Well, as everyone who attended the 11th annual edition of Ottawa's biggest bash was well aware, there were so many schedule changes over the weekend that it was necessary to seek out an updated copy of the lineup immediately upon one's arrival on site each day.

But only one cancellation appeared to be a direct result of the capsized Toronto fest.

That was the Black Keys' show on the Birdman stage Saturday. Because the duo was only scheduled to do the two shows in Canada, when Toronto was cancelled, they bailed on Ottawa. Fans booed when the news was announced from the Birdman stage; it was the second year in a row the Black Keys didn't make it to Bluesfest.
Other disappointments were no-shows by Bernard Allison, Olu Dara, Bob Log II, Tracy Nelson and Angela Strehli, some of whom had problems crossing the border.

But there were also schedule changes that paid off.

Xavier Rudd, for example. Because of the Toronto derailment, the Australian singer-songwriter stuck around until Saturday to do a mainstage performance -- at the invitation of Monahan, who had witnessed his stunning Black Sheep stage show Friday evening.

That Saturday show was THE most talked-about performance of the entire 10-day festival. One gold-circle dweller told me that, in his seven years of Bluesfest, it was right up there among the best-ever shows.
He's right.

A sturdy blond fellow with an infectious smile, Rudd was like Kurt Cobain on Prozac, healthy, happy and bursting with music. Surrounded by didjeridoos, percussion and playing guitar across his lap, he was a one-man band of worldbeat rhythms, sweet melodies and a voice that never gets tiresome.
As he began, a cluster of dancing fans at the side of the crowd suddenly grew, indicating that word on the previous night's show had spread. And as he performed, you could see the groundswell of enthusiasm spreading to the back of the audience.

Rudd felt the appreciation, remarking on "so many good people giving out so many good vibes.
"I feel lucky to be able to connect with peaceful people on a sunny day in a sunny environment," he said.
"Thank you for your energy. It feels beautiful."

By the end of the festival, Rudd was the year's bestselling artist. According to Compact Music co-owner Ian Boyd, more than 900 Rudd CDs were sold in his merchandise tents.

Rudd also gets our award for the discovery of the year.

And speaking of awards, without further ado, here are more people and performances that stood out as worthy candidates for recognition from the 2004 Bluesfest.

Best performance: The weather. "I woke up to a bad weather forecast every day," said artistic director Monahan. "But it was like the clouds parted at 5 or 6 o'clock. It was unbelievable."

Best dancer: The kid in the yellow shirt boogeying in the mainstage crowd was Alex Koens, 12, who's been with his family at every Bluesfest since he was a baby.

He says he grew up in a rockin' house and learned to dance in the kitchen.

The baby-don't-tolerate award: Lyle Lovett asking a "hippie" to butt out his joint. "I don't smoke marijuana and I don't want your second-hand smoke in my face," he said. "Eat it or shoot it but don't smoke it."

The you've-gotta-be-kidding award: The Bluesfest swat team actually descended on the toker to make sure he complied.

The Bluesfest peace prize: To the woman who offered a blanket to the group of twentysomethings who stood in front of a group of lawnchair-sitters. The youngsters obediently sat down on it to watch the show.

Top money-maker: Robert Cray's reasonable fee and a huge crowd on Saturday gave the festival its most successful show.

Best ambience: The Black Sheep stage for such a great selection of acts, the groovy backdrops on stage and the freedom to dance barefoot on the grass.

Mr. Nice Guy award: It's a tough call between Colin James and Jim Cuddy but we're giving it to James because of his crowd-pleasing show on Tuesday.

Canada's No. 1 Panty Guy: We'll give this one to Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy because that's how Kathleen Edwards described him when he made a surprise appearance during her mainstage set yesterday to sing harmonies on Hockey Skates. It had something to do with her throwing underwear at him during a show.

Best hair: Chris Isaak over Lyle Lovett. No contest.

Best display of childlike enthusiasm: Texas Horns' Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff gets this award for being so thrilled at playing with the ageless dynamo Betty Levette yesterday. "This is like seeing Otis Redding," he gushed backstage. "Wow."

Hardest working musicians: Mark Kazanoff, John Mills and Gary Slechta are the Austin-based Texas horns. They're invited to Bluesfest every year to back up any act that wants the extra whallop of a top-notch horn section. After a full shift on site Saturday, they had to keep up with the amazing twentysomething singer-guitarist Roxanne Potvin at the Rainbow Bistro. The gig went on until the wee hours.

Rising Star: This award goes to the aforementioned Roxanne Potvin, a local girl who, as Kaz says, gets better and better and better every year. A great singer and guitarist with an impressive knowledge of blues and R & B, she got a standing ovation after her mainstage debut yesterday when she played a couple of songs with Tony D. Let's hope we see more of her next year.

Last thing you'd expect at Bluesfest: To be dancing in a light rain to the Tuvan throat singers Huun Huur Tu at the Black Sheep stage, who kind of sounded like a chorus of frogs and birds.

Best shows for dancing: Late Sunday with the grooveboys in Jaga Jazzist, late Thursday with Soel, who were the jazziest thing at the festival this year, and Saturday night with a mellow Thomas Mapfumo and his lively dancers and musicians.

Closest to a religious experience: This would be a toss-up between the Bellrays' soul-stirring rock 'n' roll on the Birdman stage last Sunday, and the soul-stirring gospel of Pastor Richard Brown and Tehillah on the Black Sheep stage yesterday afternoon.

Best rediscovery: Eric Bibb, lanky blues guitarist and singer who can pack a galaxy of sorrow or bliss into a semi-tone.

Biggest disconnect: Kentucky-born former cowpunk band leader and trip-hop dabbler Sid Griffin, who now lives in Britain, presenting a Roots stage lecture on the life and times of country-rock icon Gram Parsons at a blues festival in Ottawa.

Worst place to cut costs: The big screen beside the stage that made it easier for people at the back to see the show wasn't big enough. And there should have been another one farther back, like last year.

Second worst place to cut costs: Feeding the volunteers. They got hotdogs this year, which they had to pay $2 for.

Still the biggest source of frustration: The music stops at 11 p.m.

Ottawa Bluesfest

I hate that second last paragraph about the volunteer. I mean... without us... there'll be no Bluesfest whatsoever!! Geesh... even more than half the security are volunteers... no respect... *grumble* *grumble*

Note: It is now about 7:42pm... man.... takes me soo long, eh?

Er... wat's the date? Jul 12-04

2004-07-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

Well... I hate starting up negative but there's this airhead over on the zerolimit chat channel I'm on where I talk to my buddies... Oh god! She's sooo annoying! I mean, c'mon! She's 17, going to college, and she can't even spell the most basic words! Anyways, she starts acting all airheaded and stuff, which gets the rest of us annoyed cuz we can do without one less airhead, especially when we're trying to have a normal convo, and she gets kicked for her behaviour. Then she comes back later and she's like "Huh? What happened? Oh well... Let's start acting all airheaded and stereotypically blonde! Yeah!" Uggh...

OK, onto cheerier stuff. I'm a member of both Sue's Crew Forum (the forum where Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye fans hang out) and AllAlias (the forum where Alias addicts... er... fans hang out) which is like uber cool cuz now I have two circle of internet community friends!

Can't think of more right now so... until tomorrow!! XOXOXOXO

Inside Kat's World

Weeee! Update!

Save My Soul/Torri

Back from the dead

Banner and last av

Long overdue update - avs today

Media Update (Part 1)

Media Update

Late night... *yawn*

Woohoo! It works!!

Long time...

Long time...

New Wallys...

More Alias siggy!

Bouncing off the walls!!

Kathleen Edwards

The Weekend of the Last Weekend of Bluesfest

Er... wat's the date? Jul 12-04

Late night... yawn