canzine, and we did!

Maranda (Telegram Ma'am), me, Amber (Culture Slut), aMy (twelve oh two distro), Sarala (This Beautiful Mess), Alex (Brainscan) & Jeff (Ghostpine)

Canzine this weekend was fantastic — a big thank you to everybody who made it so wonderful! I appreciate all the folks who came out and picked up my zines. For those who pre-ordered Riot Wife #2 by purchasing RW #1.5, expect some delicious mail toward the end of December. If you’d like to pre-order the second issue of my Riot Wife zine, it’ll be up on my Etsy shop as soon as I get some decent pictures sometime next week.

Life is good and busy and inspiring right now and I feel like I’m falling in love with every new day. And I don’t think it’s just the anti-depressants talking; it seems much more profound and enduring than just riding a chemical high. Today I bought a new journal with a burlap cover and beautiful handmade pages that help my pen glide along so swiftly. I spent some time at a local café getting to know her over a glass of wine and I laughed with the waitstaff over how romantically cliché it seemed.

 

in passing

When it comes to the significance of the small things, such as kind interactions between strangers, I’m as hopelessly romantic and sentimental as it gets. The bus station is a constant source of inspiration as a result; there is no end to how the people there encourage me. I wrote this little diddy today as soon as I returned home from school.

flickr.com/-evidence-

Strangers passing in the street
and it doesn’t have to be
about death and disrespect.
It doesn’t have to be
about destruction and dread,
about dis-ease.

Strangers passing each other and
a look, a laugh, because
even a little comment
about the weather
can mean the world
to them, to me.

When I pass you in the street,
I won’t look away or hang
my halfhearted head
as if there were
something shameful
about submitting to your existence.

You and me, we pass in the street
and it can be
about love and joy;
we can make it
about courage and hope.
We can make it.

 

a few things for which i’m thankful:

a jar of fresh cookies made by josh, finding treasures in puddles, the sound of skateboards in the street, old people who look like baby birds, tin boxes full of crafts, chickens i know, waking up under heavy blankets in a little home overflowing with family history, people who laugh with reckless abandon, the smell of books, bees who accept my friendship, happy babies at the bus station, the kind smiles of strangers, the neighbours’ rose of sharon creeping over to our side of the fence, adventures and good conversations with new friends, riding public transportation with undecided plans and an unlimited pass, unexpected sunshine, laughter at wine team, thrifted stationery, reaching into nana’s old sewing basket, friends who follow their dreams, my soft cat who always knows when i need a snuggle, public acts of cross stitch, the love and inspiration friends bring into my life,

(to be continued…)

 

soon come…

Autumn always gives me a boost of creative energy and I’m hoping to have this second issue done by Canzine (Nov. 1).

 

Cultivator review

Xerography Debt was gracious enough to give me a nice review recently. Thanks, friends!

CULTIVATOR #1- This one looks just like an old school zine. Cut & paste back when it referred to actually cutting and pasting pieces of paper to each other instead of just making a few clicks on your mouse. The theme of this issue is “Know your place” where the author writes about the place that she both grew up and recently moved back to, the city of St. Catharines ONT. She examines it then and now and I found it quite interesting, especially her discussion of how from one of the largest producers of bikes in all of Canada to a place that barely even welcomes bike riding. Speaking of which, this zine contains a picture of a guy riding one of those old timey bikes with the giant front wheel and the tiny back wheel to illustrate her hometown’s bike obsession. (Yes, I know these bikes are called Penny Farthings, but if I’d have just said “a penny farthing” you may not have known what they were.) (Oooh… I’m totally going to type “penny farthing” into Scribblenauts and see what happens.) At any rate, I got to wondering just whose idea these bikes were? They seem very difficult just to get seated on, they can’t go very fast and they seem quite dangerous to fall off of. Since they didn’t have a lot of electrical devices back then you’d think at the very least they could have taken the time to perfect the design of what they did have. Maybe people really were stupider back then, but you’d think the guy who invented bikes would be smart enough to take another few minutes to make both wheels the both size. OK, I liked this zine. Good stuff.

You can order this zine from my Etsy shop. It’s fun, you’ll like it!

 

school books

I started my last year of university last week and bought most of my books this weekend. The best part, aside from the low prices, is that none of them are textbooks.

Here is some of my required reading this year:

This is gonna be a good year.

 

if i could

flickr.com/papertwins

if i could have a section of the newspaper to write about news in my neighbourhood, these are the stories i’d cover today:

- weather: beautiful, sunny, warm enough to make the cicadas sing but not enough to turn on the a/c (that means you, #49)

- traffic: noisy and too fast, especially on small side streets. a car jumped the curb on george street and crashed into the lady’s white picket fence; two police cruisers rushed to the scene.

- education: why do they still have the junior high sign up even though they’ve moved locations? the st. denis billboard reminds us that 1 week is left before school starts.

- food: bunsmaster now has stoney creek ice cream, yum! and the smell of freshly baked bread is incredible when you walk by first thing in the morning.

- sports: little mister at #6 had a great time playing with a new bouncy ball, while the middle-aged creepers on the corner of geneva street continued their daytime beer olympics.

- entertainment: the garage band on st. patrick street keeps getting better, from what i can hear. to hear this season’s current hits, sit at the carlton geneva intersection. salsa dancing at the anglican church! small parade marched down st. patrick dressed in an array of colourful costumes and wigs.

{
this is what happens when i go for three walks in a day.
}

flickr.com/papertwins

 

End of Summer Photos

i housesat a beautiful home the last week of august.

dogsitting was also included.

i loved waking up early & enjoying the peace of the country.

my inspiration spot; perfect for getting some writing done.

my adorable little lady friends at my husband’s outdoor concert.

baked vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. {recipe here}

 

All is Well

The band's audience at Flevo in the Netherlands - flickr.com/photos/albertjan

There’s nothing like the peace that fills our home when JT returns from tour. Everything seems calm and settled, a sense of restoration feels almost tangible. The first night home is when I have the best sleep; I can snuggle up close and fall asleep listening to his breathing. I don’t think I’ll ever take that for granted.

flickr.com/photos/albertjan

 

Riot Wife Returns

That’s right, I’m back! I’ve gone back on my word but not without my reasons. I want to thank all the wonderful women who commented on my post for musicians’ wives. It’s so encouraging to read your stories and know there are other women struggling with this lifestyle! That’s why I’ve decided to continue posting my experiences here on Riot Wife, to foster these connections and share my joys & trials in being a young musician’s wife.

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Currently, my man is on his way back to Canada from Europe. They have a show in Nova Scotia tomorrow night, then home sweet home Saturday. We’ve had a lot of time together this summer, so that has made the week seem easier. I’m also in the country housesitting and taking care of a dog, cats, and chickens, so that keeps my mind distracted. Night is always the most difficult when there’s nothing to do except lie in bed waiting for sleep and dwelling on how empty the house is.

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If you have a blog, website, or any type of resource for the wives of musicians, please get in touch!

Road Crew Wives is a great blog that just started up, so check it out! Any wife with husbands in the music industry will be able to relate.