The Gruff

These lovely ladies hail from Victoria, BC, and call themselves The Gruff. They are good friends and great musicians. I took this picture at their show at The Black Sheep Inn on Sunday, where the girls entertained the crowd with songs about whiskey, love, mountains and beer. Fitting, I thought, for a night of drinking in Wakefield.




Both sets were awesome (during which I happily cooed over Lucy, the resident Black Sheep pug), and I'm addicted to their new album. I actually got a bit teary during some of their songs, which is very much unlike me, but I think I was just relieved to hear such nice harmonies. Plus I had been cutting onions earlier and I was dead tired. But oh, those harmonies.

After the show was over, we all went back to my house, ate Chinese food and watched hilarious clips on YouTube until the wee hours. Aaah, fun. The kitty section is especially wonderful, since kitties do the most ridiculous things (like attack children, mirrors, lasers, bulldogs and vacuums, for example).

The Gruff play tonight at Cafe l'Utopik in Montreal. If you are in the area, go! You won't regret it.

Music aside, I plan to lay fairly low this week. I'm pissed as hell about the results from Ottawa's municipal election yesterday, and I want to drown my frustrations in soup and flannel. As the results rolled in, I hid in the dining room with the one thing that could calm me right down. Okay, yes, my sweetheart, but also my latest and greatest purchase: my personal organization handbook.

This little puppy is full of lists, pointers and information for organizational junkies like myself. I read it one time through and took notes, so this time I'm highlighting the most useful passages.* My favourite new discovery is the "Want-To-Do" list, which runs parallel to one's regular "To-Do" list.** The former is the list you use to write down the fun things that may not be a top priority, but that you would love to squeeze in here and there. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. The first item on my want-to-do list is "Learn to make matzo ball soup." As a quasi-Jew, I feel that this skill must be mastered before Hannukah is upon me. At least I bought myself a menorah (it was on my main list).

Regardless, I am pleased, so very pleased with this book. It has made me consider starting my own business organizing people's houses / offices / lives. My advertising would be something along the lines of: "Is your shit all over the place? Can't keep a list to save your life? After I'm done giggling at your closet, I'll organize the bejesus out of it! And then I will drink your beer!"

Let me know if you have some labeling that needs doing, and some beer that needs to be drunk. No pun intended, of course.

*What? Don't you do this? Be honest. No? Shit.

**At least tell me you have a To Do list. No? Shit.