Cat Jahnke Mews

I wonder about our human desire to progress. What would we do with perfection? It seems that the landscape of our country comes pretty close to Eden and yet, between the pristine places, there are pockets of development that could only mar, never improve.

Who wouldn’t want to live in a house with that view? But should we be allowed? A log cabin on the side of a mountain is pretty innocuous, but a Home Depot down the road supplying necessary insulation and concrete just knocked over an entire forest!

Nothing can ever be finished. A city is never done. I think human mobs crave change, not perfection.

As a blogging artist I often find it difficult to be entirely honest. This is very unfortunate as I put a lot of value in sincerity. Perhaps I haven’t learned the art of diplomacy, perhaps I need to accept that I am not called to relate the whole truth, perhaps I should just keep writing about doing my makeup and what I ate during the day.

Deal.

In the end I had a very nice time at Packer’s Place here in Golden. It really was a night to remember. I sang on the riverbank as the sun went down and was joined by some of my favorite BC-ers who had travelled a long way to spend an evening with me. It’s regrettable that one tiny poopy circumstance can lay a shadow over an otherwise magical time. I hope I can swallow yesterday whole and not look back thinking I wasted an opportunity…

Thanks so much to everyone who joined me on the patio last night and to my local hero Will for postering the town for me.

Hallelujah for Quincy Marie’s! Yummy food, GREAT people and décor that matches my outfit! I spent all day sitting on their padded chairs by the fireplace, reading a book. If only everyone could have a job as great as mine…

Also, I’m getting very good at putting on makeup whenever and where-ever possible. Mascara in the car? No problem! Eyeliner in the bathroom on a peculiarly wet counter? I’m a pro!

Another perk to my profession is the post-performance conversations. So many topics are discussed: hospitality in different cultures, unusual fears and phobias (barfing and garden gnomes), and affectionate desert fauna. I’m so grateful to everyone who shares their story with me; it’s easy to get caught up in the routine of being a musician and I appreciate the insight into other people’s lives…

It’s clear that when we go to a restaurant we put a lot of faith into the pride of the establishment. I think everything is heightened when one is on the road: the aches from a bad sleep are magnified, the strange circumstances that pop up are more curious (I’m still not over the blizzard we encountered on our way out here!), and the residue from a bad meal lasts longer. Of course no one wants to spend money on poo-food at any time, but when pennies are being pinched and your body is your commodity, it’s unfortunate in triplicate.

Thanks goodness for the delicious veggie chilli at the Main Street Café in Nanton. It probably saved my life!

I don’t want to lie to you: it’s not May 27. It’s actually a few days later. In fact I typed tomorrow’s blog before today’s. Am I psychic? No. Just really really good at procrastinating.

I need a blood heater. I’m always cold! I’d think my heart was broken except that I’m too darn happy. We’re staying in a lovely basement suite (thank you Gail!) but it’s very chilly. When I used to play piano recitals I would run my elbows under hot water to warm up my hands; it worked like a charm. But hand is to elbow what entire body is to ???

Honestly I’m glad that it’s a little cooler, that way I can put off wearing shorts and skirts: not my cup of tea. But in May should I really be contemplating parkas? I’m very good at making goose bumps…

Thanks to Patrick and Mike and Laura and Jeanette (sp?) at the Ironwood. Oh, and to Paul the chef! Once again I was confronted by familiar faces from the past and it was such a lovely feeling. Isn’t it strange how years may have passed and yet there’s still such a strong bond? Sometimes even stronger, thanks to hindsight and experience.

So many things to contemplate and internalize. And while it’s all been positive, it’s hard to come up with a phrase to describe it except to say that this tour is turning into a real mind—f***…

It was a gorgeous day in Edmonton and my feet are killing me. I sure appreciate the grid system that allows me to walk confidently from my hotel to a restaurant, but the ease with which I could get around kept me on the streets longer than my body would have liked.

Canadian Tire Money Tally: $4.35 (Thanks to Jeff for the extra 50 cents. You’re making my dream come true!)

My gums will rest easy tonight thanks to a new pink toothbrush. Aaah… Back to civilization!

I just started reading Marathon Man -> Don’t tell me how it ends! What a strange collection of stories told by Mr. Goldman: The Princess Bride, Heat, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, etc. It’s inspiring to me as an artist that he can tackle so many settings and so many characters. He doesn’t write for lawyers OR spies OR elves OR robots…

Un/Fortunately I really gobble these kinds of books, and maybe that’s exactly what I need when away from home: quick distractions, no challenge. But please, can someone suggest something with substance for when I get home?

Tonight I saw some old friends and recognized them immediately. The human mind really is an amazing thing. Or perhaps, as humans, we ambitiously expect that change occurs daily, that we come so far in 10 years that surely our superficial countenances would display the product of our growth, that we can bury ourselves in the sand of the hourglass…

As a woman approaching 30 I should appreciate more my ability to seemlessly juxtapose with the teenage version of myself. It’s bittersweet. I’ll be upsest next time they DON’T card me. At least the new me embraces such contradictions…

Thanks to Travis and Mike and Jeff at the Muddy Waters Café. What a comfy place! And man oh man, did I enjoy my Panini! I’m looking forward to heading back there for another evening of music tomorrow… (and another selection off their yummy menu!)

D125M100

I remembered the toothpaste. I forgot the toothbrush. Someone please tell me the proper technique for applying a minty colloid with an index finger. I know what you’re saying: go buy one, even a struggling musician can spare two bucks for oral hygiene. Alas, it is 3 AM and I am furry now…

Also, can someone please confirm that it is nearly June? I understand that I live in the Canadian prairies and have been raised to deal with extreme weather, but must I really contend with a full-on blizzard AFTER Victoria Day? I took pictures in case you didn’t believe me: leafy green trees toppled over from the weight of the snow! Of course photos snapped during a whiteout make poor witnesses.

I filled up my tiny car with gasoline at a Canadian Tire gas bar. It drank $57 worth: not a cheap date! Still, you gotta spend money to make money, right, and my goal this tour is to collect as many CT bucks as possible. Another goal I have is to play really good shows for people and have fun doing it. But the Canadian Tire currency comes first!

Thanks so much to Kit and Al Loewen for hosting a house concert for me tonight. Oh, and for allowing their living room to be temporarily converted into a time capsule. There were so many wonderfully familiar faces in the crowd. During “intermission” we all piled into the basement to view a screening of Ctrl Z, the short film I scored this past January (For home viewing purposes only!), and to eat samosas and artichokes.

A well-rounded evening in my books… (But three minutes in the bathroom with a toothbrush would have perfected it!)

Canadian Tire Money Tally: $3.55