Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Early concerts, early nights

I paid $7.50 to see Neko Case last night. It was a mellow concert, the kind of concert I usually avoid, but it was wonderful because it took place in the inner harbour at sunset; a cool ocean breeze flowed through her red hair in the most picturesque manner. I was pleased that she sang my favorite songs: I wish I was the moon and Hold On, Hold On. She also covered Bob Dylan's Buckets of Rain - lovely. I saw Jamie Lidell on Friday, who was also playing for the Victoria Folk Festival. He performed in the beer garden, which seemed a little trashy to me. The concert was too casual, I think, and then in between his funky, wonderful songs from his latest album he mixed some hardcore electronic music. I took the opportunity to get another drink. We may try to see Tanya Tagaq, the throat singer who has performed with Bjork, on Thursday. We actually tried to see her at the Railway Club in Vancouver many moons ago, but ended up leaving when the show had yet to begin and it was past midnight - true to Railway Club style. More recently, I left the same bar before Elliott Brood took the stage. A girl has got to sleep! That's another reason why I'm fond of this city: early concerts. Neko Case took the stage at 8:30, giving me plenty of time to get a good night's rest.

On that note, last month I heard a story on CBC that claimed people have wildly different sleep requirements: some people need three hours and some people need 10 or 11; the reason we always hear the eight-hour recommendation is because it is the average of the extremes. Since I've always suspected this was the case, the story struck a chord. Personally, I need eight hours or else. That's why I don't think I can spend a summer up north ever again: the constant sun makes it difficult to sleep. I'm sure Jillian will have something to say about that, since she lives in Nunavut. The fool recently tried to tempt me to her lair with promises of kayaking in the middle of the night.

7 comments:

brie said...

Sean makes fun of me because I am so fond of sleeping. I'm with you Erin, at least 8 hours! One of my favourite things to do on a lazy day is take a nap. There aren't many things that I find as pleasant as falling asleep on the couch with the warm sun and a breeze blanketting me. Is "blanketting" a word?

Erin Riley said...

Yes it is a word, but with only one "t", brie. I checked the dictionary to make sure, an activity I've been doing quite a lot of since starting a blog (you know what I mean, Imti). My Mom has also commented on the importance of spell check since checking out my blog. Friends, please feel free to point out any spelling errors!

Anonymous said...

"Picturesque"! I thought you would have corrected that after your second post. I always use dictionary.com because it's so handy and not as heavy as the Oxford English Dictionary. I love finding typos and mistakes (although I know I'm guilty as well). Did you know there's a free Saskatoon paper called "Planet S"? It's impressive for Saskatoon, but still quite amateurish. Each week they offer prizes like gift certificates to readers who point out the typos. They could save a bit of money and embarrassment if they'd just take the time to do it right in the first place.

Anyway, time to go back to bed. Seven hours plus an afternoon nap is perfect.

sarah said...

I looooooooooove sleeping. It is perhaps one of my favourite activities, which is actually kind of concerning. You have been witness to my love of sleep. Do you remember that time when I was sick and I went to bed at 6 and slept straight through until morning? That was a good one. Probably in my top 10 best sleeps ever.

brie said...

One thing I almost always forget to do is check my spelling and grammar before posting on my blog. It's such an irresponsible thing to do, particularly because I tutor English! Ack! Please feel free to enlighten me when I make those pesky errors. At least from now on I know it's "blanketing". I always spell marketing with two "t"s as well. Something deficient in my wee brain, I s'ppose.

Anonymous said...

i slept zero hours and zero minutes last night, allowing me to tune into cbc all night long and catch up on happenings in russia, the uk... hell, even south africa. but now i feel pretty much the worst i could possibly feel. that might have something to do with my boyfriend breaking up with me, the rain pouring and the fact my dog is going to be put down before i get to see her again. damn. is this inappropriate to put on a post?

Erin Riley said...

Nothing is inappropriate to put on a post, but that said, I'm not up to musing about pets getting put down right now, so I wrote you a private email.