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December 31st, 2007

  1. Goodbye 2007, Hello Butternut Squash Soup

    December 31, 2007 by Gail

    goodbye 2007, hello butternut squash soup :)

    I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but as part of an overall personal objective of not procrastinating on doing things that are important to me I had an urge this afternoon to get home, have some butternut squash soup, and initiate a phone call that I’d been meaning to make for some time. (I’m really glad I did it, and sorry for the rambling! That’s what happens when I leave it too long — I don’t shut up!)

    I believe this is the start of something good, the act of reaching out in friendship and making a stronger connection. Now I just need to do it more often. I didn’t really want to ring in the new year with a bunch of strangers (although I was tempted to go back to Nathan Phillips Square and photograph/video the events there, as I am wont to do) when I’m acutely aware that I’ve been rather incommunicado this year with people who were already in my life. Part of building a new life for myself here in Toronto involves making new friends and putting down some roots, but I’ve thrown so much energy into that, that I feel I’ve been quite neglectful in other areas.

    So here’s to more phone calls (and not just promises to do so!), more timely responses to emails, more letter-writing, and being a better friend, sister, auntie, and daughter.

    Thanks to everyone who sent along a holiday card — I wasn’t expecting any because I said I wasn’t sending any! But they were much appreciated. As with last year I didn’t send out a single one, but I am currently working on a New Year card that will be sent out sometime in January. This is the one I made last year, after I got back from Cuba:


    Thanks for the scarf, Holly Yvonne, it’s very versatile

    I have some ideas for the 2008 card, but I haven’t taken the photos yet.

    I’m actually really looking forward to 2008 — it’s going to be a good one, I can feel it in my bones! 2007 wasn’t bad, it was actually pretty good in many ways (I’m writing a year in review), but I’m ready for it to be over. Jumping ahead to the turn of the lunar year, it’s the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac. It’s my year!

    Tomorrow morning I’m going to get outdoors for a bit and then meet with some people for breakfast — a good way to start 2008, methinks.

    Happy (and Safe) New Year to everyone! See you in 2008!

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    Posted in Gail at Large, House of Fielding | 2 Comments

  2. Released For Good Behaviour?

    December 31, 2007 by Gail

    I work in government, so we have to wait for The Phone Call to tell us we can go home. (I was in Vancouver on December 24, so I didn’t have to wait for it then!)

    Good grief, nobody told us we could’ve gone home an hour ago, but at least we’re released…!

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    Posted in Working Life | 3 Comments

  3. KT Tunstall

    December 31, 2007 by Gail

    You may have heard “Suddenly I See” on heavy rotation in 2006, but what really turned me on to KT Tunstall’s work is the foot-stomping song “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” from that first album, “Eye on the Telescope” (released 2005). Check out her live version here — she shows her singing/songwriting/performing chops on stage:

    On the strength of that song, I checked out the rest of her repertoire: two albums thus far, with this year’s release titled “Drastic Fantastic”. And it is fantastic, indeed. I purchased both albums!

    Tunstall does have her own sound, although I don’t know if she deserves to be relegated to the pop section of iTunes since her guitar hooks and riffs are much more rock ‘n’ roll. And I have no idea where the comparisons to Dido come from, because I have a lot of Dido’s music and their voices and songs don’t sound anything alike. Even when Tunstall goes down-tempo, she’s still more like a folksie Chrissie Hynde than any one of a number of pop princesses floating about these days. Not that Dido is part of that group, but she’s still an orange to Tunstall’s apple.

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    Posted in Linkage, Music, Videoclips | 4 Comments