The Gifts of the Magi: Nerd version

What Ben got me for our anniversary: That’s right, the Disappearing Tardis mug! When you put hot beverages in it the Tardis disappears and reappears on the other side. I remember we had a very similar Phantom of the Opera mug when I was a kid. Anyway. What I very nearly got Ben for our [...]

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Concert review: Walk on Water

Like I was saying, last night I went to Contact Contemporary Music‘s “Walk on Water”, featuring the excellent saxophonist Wallace Halliday and equally excellent cellist Mary-Katherine Finch, with supporting turns from Allison Wiebe on piano (who played some thankless music very well) and Ryan Scott on percussion. If you follow me on Twitter (or, indeed, [...]

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Random and marginal notes

I’m in Ottawa right now for an independent touring workshop. So far: really helpful for what I want to do (i.e., get Fallen Voices on the road) and I’m really glad I came. I’m typing up today’s notes right now, because I know from experience that if I don’t do it know I will entirely [...]

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Exterminate if you must, but do it kindly

I’m going to have to figure out how to make vegan versions of these: What do you think – margarine for the butter, flax seed or arrowroot beaten in water for the egg, soy milk for the milk? I don’t know what to use in the place of heavy cream, though.

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A syllogism

The old Progressive Conservative Party is to the Reform Party of Canada as The Simpsons is to South Park. Let me elaborate: If you, like me, went to Catholic school in the early 90′s you may recall that there was something of a moral panic around Bart Simpson – specifically that he was a terrible [...]

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Daleks for Harper

My friend and fellow Evil Diva Suzanne and I were hanging out on Sunday, doing some corporationy things and chatting politics.  We had a great idea for a video: Daleks doorknocking for Stephen Harper! So I told Ben about it yesterday, and he made it.  Using a clip from the 2nd Doctor Who serial ever: [...]

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REPOST: Two love stories

While I’m in Montreal singing with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, I’ll be reposting some classic Scintillations for your amusement. Enjoy! After watching all that Doctor Who, I felt like indulging in some agreeable fluff. So this week I watched the first three Twilight movies again. YES I KNOW. The Twilight movies are ridiculous, but unlike [...]

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How to: Make vegan tri-colour bagels (or Hound Rounds)

Back in…January? November?…Sometime before now, I posted my basic bagel recipe. To my surprise, Wendy Matheson of Herding Cats in Hammond River made them and liked them! So for Wendy and other vegan bagel enthusiasts, I give you another bagel recipe: Hound Rounds.

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Assorted phrases in old-time sailor slang

*CROSS-POSTED TO PLAN C* This past Monday my collaborator Suzanne Kilgore and I re-wrote the libretto for “Call of Cthulhu: The Opera” (hopefully coming to the Toronto Fringe and/or Summerworks Festival, 2011). Act 3, of course, takes place on board a disreputable semi-pirate ship in the south seas.  We felt the evil Sea Captain was [...]

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“Yeah, she’s not really a sympathetic character, is she?”

My dear friend Eleanor was over yesterday, and while we were eating cookies and drinking tea in the backyard we talked about I Puritani. If you follow me on Twitter/Facebook you will know that I recently discovered that the opera Norma is more or less a rough draft of I Puritani with a couple of [...]

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