(This is what a coffee bean looks like before it begins the roasting process)
the team at the top of the volcano
Zaak and I jamming on the gee-tar. (My fingers got very very very sore that day)
The ruins in Antigua
Me and a very very very tall tree...
Hey everyone. Its been another crazy week in the Life of Shanks. September has felt like two months- very very glad its over with.
It's looking like fall everywhere in Edmonton. The leaves are all yellows and oranges. ( I must say that I miss the red's and pinks of the Ontario fall) But it's all very beautiful. Fall is definately my favourite time of year! And of course- my busiest.
And you know me... if I'm busy- might as well just throw some more fuel on the fire while its burning bright... which leads me into some exciting news...
We're going to have another concert!!! My friend Kurt and I are putting it together for friends of ours that are moving to Africa to work for 5 years. It's pretty expensive to live down there so they need all the help we can give them before hand! And you know we always need an excuse to get up and sing sing sing....
The concert date is Nov. 11th- its going to be a mix of R&B, Gospel and Rock. So fun... and for a fabulous cause. We've been planning hardcore all week. So much to do- but you know I thrive on this stuff. I work best under pressure.
So keep that date in your calendars open. I'll post more info about the concert and where to get tickets shortly- so stay tuned.
So here’s the continuation of the Guatemala Days 8-14. Yeah- so I'm about 4 weeks overdue for the update. My bad.
Sunday morning we woke up (got to even sleep in an hour) and hit the market in Tatic. We were split into random teams of 4 and had 1 hour to find everything on the list that was given to us. Lucky for those of us who knew a bit of Spanish- not so lucky for those who didn’t. Its amazing how much pointing and fast movements of the head can make you understood. ( My team tied for 1st place- yay team)
Then some of us headed to Zaak and Amber’s place and were greeted by a theatre-style set up to watch Zaak’s now famous documentary. We felt very special being one of the few groups of people that had seen it before it premiered at the Montreal Film Festival. During that final week in Guatemala, we also took corn to the grinders, and made a traditional Guatemalan dish for supper. We also got to go see how the Guatemalans did their weaving. We visited a coffee plantation and saw what the process was for it to be made. I am seriously considering a career as a coffee shop owner now. 
Wednesday dawned bright and beautiful and it so happened that it was Tami’s birthday. Guatemalan tradition uses fire crackers to wake the dead instead of your cake with candles. So we each lit 1 fire cracker at about 10pm and woke the neighbours. So fun. We left Tatic for Antigua and toured the ruins in Antigua ( Antigua is 11 x 11 blocks… and there are 26 cathedrals in those 11 x 11 blocks) Saturday- our last day, began very very early- as we left to hike the Volcano Picaya. 
Me with my asthma decided to take the easy way up and I hired a horse. He was a good horse. I was very very VERY happy I took the horse- even though it was still a 30 min hike once we got up there. 
The volcano is active- so lava was flowing right in front of us. It was the coolest thing EVER. I’ll never forget that. After that- we spent 4 hours shopping, had a fabulous goodbye dinner and then packed up and came home! The 2 weeks spent there- felt like a month. Guatemala is a beautiful place, one that I can’t wait to go back and visit- who knows… maybe even live there someday!
I love my job! As many late nights that I work- and the countless hours of overtime that I put in- there are days when everything seems worth it. Like- when my efforts of "pitching" stories to journalists result in 2 cover stories in one week. Or the thankless 5am wake up calls to do Breakfast Television or early morning radio shows- which result in 3 sold out performances in a row. Yes- there are some days- like today- when I look out at a packed Winspear audience- here to see my orchestra- and I love my job.
I'm sitting at my desk- during the intermission of a concert- after hearing the most amazing performance of Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No. 1. I must say- for an opening night concert- the ESO done good. Katherine Chi- a Calgary pianist ( living in Boston) is our guest for the night- and can I just say wow. I mean- all our guest artists are professional wonders, but there are the few during the season when you are absolutely blown away. It's on a night like tonight- when it's cold and rainy outside, that you realize how you do this 80 + nights a year. I'm one lucky girl.
Oh- I know I've kinda skimped out on a the Guatemala update #2- that is coming this weekend.. I promise. I've been just a tad bit busy since I got back.
