Life of Shanks

I sit at my desk at 7:30pm on Dec. 22nd- feeling quite bitter that I have to work this evening…. AND tomorrow evening. Mainly because- well- let’s be honest here… I’m TIRED!!!
Even though its going to be a fabulous show ( Handel’s Messiah) … there comes a point when you just want to NOT be at your workplace. I’ve arrived at that point.
I’ve also been stricken with a throat infection. Lovely I know. Doctor says it’s not contagious. But I feel miserable just the same. And I have to sing tomorrow. Awesome.
I just want to go home and put on my Christmas tree lights and lay on my red sofa. Is that too much to ask? The little work fairies dancing around my head say yes.

Yes- it's been a few weeks since my last post. I was doing so well too.. .truth is- I feel like I haven't had a moment to breath! Between early mornings and late nights at work, concerts I have to be at, Christmas parties you have to make an appearance at and rehearsals- I've been going a bit crazy! I finally had an afternoon and evening to myself this past weekend- and let me tell you, my sofa has never felt so good.
I have found time to get all my Christmas shopping done- did that a few weeks ago and I'm so happy I don't have to brave the malls during this final week of madness. Well- the final countdown is here... 1 week until Christmas! Even more imporant.... only 5 more days until I can leave the Winspear Centre for 10 whole days! YAHOOOOOOO!The best Christmas present for me right now is time off.... ( and of course an Apple Macbook.... hint hint)

…. Or maybe its- Tis’ the season to be overly busy, stressed out, broke, and hyper with sugar overloads.
Ahh… December. The month of snowfalls, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, sugarplums, way too many Christmas parties and the one time of year I can listen to Christmas music and get away with it ( as long as I ignore the rolling eyes around me) The one party I would and could not miss this year is Lindsay’s annual Christmas soiree. I think this is going on 4 or 5 years now? Not too sure on the exact number- but every year is always a memorable one. Visiting with old friends- meeting new ones, lots of food, presents.. you name it.

The one event that brings out the creative side of all involved is the Graham Cracker House making contest. There’s not actually a prize- just boasting rights for a full year of whose is REALLY the best house. Of course the norm is the gingerbread house- which I believe is a lot stronger then the graham cracker. Graham crackers crumble, crack and snap way too easily. But I think that adds to the adventure of the structure making contest. A few years ago- I attempted to make the CN tower with my fearless partner J. R. Ferrer- but I gave up about 20 minutes into the process. This year J. R and I partnered up again and I stuck by and made The House of Shanks- or Shanks House of Love… or FerrShankel Estates. Whatever you want to call it - - J.R. and I did a bang up job. Though- there were 2 other teams that also stood out in the process. All being very different structures- I’ll let you be the judge of who has done the best job.. ( #3... #3... #3) let the voting begin

#1- Tim's House. He has a slight unfair disadvantage since he's a full time artist. A little overboard on the brick detailing- don't ya think? I think if Tim had had time- he would have made a life size one.

#2- Darin and Candace's take on the Golden Gate Bridge. More like- London Bridge is falling down- Oooohhhhh!!!!!! ( Joking.... Darin did do a little planning ahead on this one) the stuff that looks like snakes is supposed to be water

#3- and finally the sturdiest of the houses... look at the fine brickmanship ( which are actually dice) It's all about the details people. We're thinking this could be the template for an olympic village or something...

It's -35 with the wind chill… in Antarctica that may feel warm, but in Edmonton- that’s just dumb. I know all us Albertans/Canadians are supposed to have thick skin and be able to stand the cold. I say thats crazy talk. No one should have to be subjected to these temperatures. I envy all those in warmer climates ....and those heading to warmer climates this week- ya'll know who you are... in love of your native Canada-please have a moment of silence for all those in Alberta/BC that have to bare the stupid amounts of snow and frigid temperatures.

Andrew, Marc and I. Just a group of young professionals.

DJ Shanks in the house...

Me and Christy strikin' a pose

ooh... forgot to mention we raised over $16,000 for the Waldrons and The Seed of Hope at this concert! If anyone would like to add to that number you can go to www.theseedofhope.org for info on how to donate! I'm aiming for six figures next time.

Me singing "When Your Life Was Low" a jazzy song, with a jazzy saxophone player

Nathan rockin on the Guitar and Heather singing her heart out on “World on Fire”

So I’m sure I’ve said this before- but a big perk of my job is all the free things that come with it. Clothes, shoes, cds, make up, dvds, concert tickets, theatre tickets, opera tickets, basketball tickets and oilers tickets. I know. I’m a lucky girl… I’ll try not to rub it in.

So last night one of the ESO’s sponsors- Telus- graciously invited some of my office to be their guests in the Telus box at Rexall place for the Oilers vs Nashville game.

So me andManju headed off to Rexall- after about 20 minutes stuck in traffic outside of the building we finally got parked, and after running thru half of the stadium trying to find the suite cuz the USHERS HAD NO CLUE WHAT THEY WERE DOING…. ( sigh) we settled into a nice comfy little box complete with private bathroom, tables, comfy chairs, chicken wings, 7-layer dip, Hot Dogs and all you can drink. Like Manju said- it was a little taste of heaven….

…Until of course the Oilers lost. Big time. I mean- they haven’t lost a game at home yet this season- and of course when we go- they have to lose. BOO. One of the Nashville player's Aunt and Uncle were sitting right in front of us. Of course it took all my willpower not to “accidentally” spill my diet coke in her mile-high hair- I was hoping it would maybe stop her high pitched cheering for the visiting team. I did contain myself however- and I did manage to have a fantastic time in spite of the loss. I was hoping those Tenesse-ites ( not Texans as Zaak pointed out. [thanks ] ) might freeze and not be able to play well.

Shucks.

So… ok. Let’s just be honest here. I’m not a runner. Never have been. - sprinter yes. But more then a couple hundred meters at a time- um no. I do the jog for 5, walk for 10 thing- quite often… and yes there has been some days when I’ve been overly ambitious- and seriously regretted it afterwards. Maybe yesterday was one of those days.

I woke up yesterday morning to sunshine. Now- if you’d been in Edmonton the past few weeks- you know we haven’t really seen the sun in awhile with all the rain and dreariness that has descended upon the metropolis. So when I saw the sun… I knew a nice long walk was in order. But once I saw that nice long stretch in the river valley… for some reason. I just started running. I felt like Forrest Gump… for about 3k- it was fabulous.

Today. I don’t feel so fabulous. I can barely walk. Seriously. I CAN BARELY WALK.
I am feeling muscles today that I haven’t felt in awhile. My co-workers are laughing at me and my haggard appearance.

Was it the Gemini in me that made me run? – The alter ego that I’m supposedly supposed to have but have never seen? I don’t know. I really don’t know. But I do fondly remember happier days- When my muscles weren’t screaming like Alice Cooper.
I feel like if I move one more muscle. I may just fall over.

Today, the sun is still shining bright. Wanna go for a walk anyone? I'm sure I can borrow a wheelchair for you to push me in.

So- on Sunday, I was taken back to my past. My- competative acrobatic, in crazy shape, training for hours and hours a week past. Yes- I remembered what is was like to stand on top of someones shoulders ( on your hands of course), to be thrown a few feet up into the air and land back on your feet, to hear the wonderfully composed vibing music and want to do a double back handspring. ( with spotting of course...). Me and about 20,000 other people went to see Cirque Du Soleil- Delirium. A good friend of mine ( you know who you are...) had tickets and unfortunately wasn't able to go- so graciously gave me the tickets.

So Lals and I headed off into the yucky Edmonton rain. Landed a steller parking spot only a 1-minute walk from Rexall place and stumbled into our seats with about 29 seconds to spare. The show was amazing. Incredible acrobats ( I miss my acronaire days) fabulous dancers, drummers, singers, sets, costumes, it was amazing. It wasn't the regular Cirque- Delirium takes music from all the rest of the productions, and along with amazing visual effects, video and sets and puts it all together. The music was incredible. ( Sorry- I can't think of another adjective right now) I think Lals and I said "Wow" at least 53 times throughout the show. Of course you weren't allowed to take photos but me being the rebel I am.. snuck a few. They didn't turn out great- cuz of the lighting and me trying to hide the camera- but you get the picture (no pun intended) ha ha. Enjoy! I know I did.

Oh and P.S... For those who care... I got my hair cut. The shortest its been in about 6 tyears. It's barely touching my shoulders- when it's straight. And it's rather scary when its curly. So we're keeping it straight for the time being. But I'm feeling the change.

So finally after weeks of planning this thing- our fundraising event on November 11th is finally taking some shape. One of our vocalists for the concert is also an amazing graphic artist. ( Heidi Carroll) She's done a great job and caputured exactly what I was looking for in the concept. It's kinda hard to see the details here- but you get the general idea.
If you want tickets-email nodaybuttodayconcert@gmail.com! Hope to see you all there!

I love long weekends. Especially when I can actually utilize the few extra days off and go somewhere. This weekend I went to visit my Brother and his family in Northern BC. They just moved there a few months ago and I jumped at the first opportunity to go up and see the new house and town. Thanksgiving was the perfect excuse. They live on a lake. and it's so beautiful- kinda like you're on a mountain hideaway or something.

Me and my nephew Riley out for a walk/ride on a beautiful Fall afternoon

You know that feeling after eating something that totally feels right? Well- often I go to this fabulous little place a few blocks from my office called Soul Soup. And honestly- not a big soup person- but this place kills it. Really they do. And on a day like today when it’s sunny but brisk outside- soup is definitely on the menu. Today I had Jerk Chicken, Yam and Mint soup- with cheddar cornbread. Exactly what I needed, at exactly the right time. It’s like a warm hug on a cold day. (Sigh) I think my stress evaporated with the spices. Well- at least for a half hour or so...Ya’ll should really try it.

(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.