..the price of hostelling....

...so, the casualty count for my possessions is at 2. One cell phone charger (who steals a charger??!) and sadly, my ipod. I guess someone really needed those things...and felt they needed them more so than me? *sad face* But in the words of the great Whitney Houston.."No matter what they take from me...they can't take away my dignity!" Hahaha although I DO reserve the right to leave my dignity in the back of a cab....:-)

But enough about lost hunks of metal and plastic..I still have my dreams, my friends, love, health and the sense to honour all those things! Phewf! Blessings countdown!

1. Enjoying a lovely cup of tea with my friend Jeremy and blasting Lamb of God. (thanks for tolerating our rocking, Wendy!)
2. Still recovering from being fed my weight in champagne for my birthday of fun (thanks Shannon and Alex!)
3. Getting to see Where The Wild Things Are last night! Epic!
4. The fact that I leave for Austin tomorrow...the next chapter...!

Right then, another cup of tea for me and more metal before I set out for my last full day and night in LA LA land...

x-g

"..til the sun comes up over Santa Monica Blvd..."

Oh hey....'sup to the Sheryl Crowe fans out there! Ha...so still chillin here in the city of Angels..scopin the enorexia and spottin celebs! Wooot! (Ray Liotta on his iphone!--Hey Good Fella!)

This place was fun but I'm gettin pumped for Texas. Austin, to be exact and I have a feeling it's gonna be radness. In the meantime, just busking and tryin to sucker the tourists into buying my CD...

I must say, I am feeling slightly homesick today..maybe cause it's officially been over a week and it feels like years, or maybe it's my looming birthday...not sure, but I decided, since the audiences are a lil more unfamiliar up here, why not play for you guys still? How? Well from now on, i want to post a song or two a week in youtube and i need your requests...what do you want to hear? An oldie? A cover? Maybe you want me to write a song about your dog? Name it, I'll do it! Post your requests here!

I feel better already.

love g

ps--do you have a copy of the new EP yet? Cause I got tons...msg me here if you want one!

Go Big or Go Home...!

Umm..I ordered the *LARGE* latte?! Hello! Well, apparently I have some stomach stretching to do if I am going to fit all these gaddam american portions in me! Umm...ew that sounded dirty...or maybe that just sounded dirty to me...carry on then!

So, as you can see Santa Monica is way radder than Venice Beach if only for the lack of crack deals and drunken brawls...but with safety and security comes....malibu barbies! Man, there are all kinds of lululemon swathed, headband wearing, water bottle toting, mercedes drivin' plastic figurines here...! And cue g in her plaid button-up, cutoff jeans and vans...sore thumb? Yup. But DAMN, someone's gotta represent!

Speaking of representin' I am going to the Promenade to busk my ass off today and see what the day will bring me...who knows....wish me luck.

Celebrity Sightings: Elijah Wood at Whole Foods! (Sup Frodo!)

love for now and always...--g xxxx

The last 5 days...condensed!

Holy Moly! (not Molly) Where to start? The last 5 days have seen me leave the cozy arms of my loving Victoria family, jet(ta) down to Seattle, get the best send off from my best girls, get a free hotel stay, ticket to Sunny Day Real Estate AND a ride to LA. 18 hours of driving in a compact Subaru later.....I arrived in 90 degrees of heat! Stayed in Montrose a couple nights with a wonderful host, Nick then headed into the belly of the beast..(downtown LA! eep!) Stayed the night in Venice Beach at the *quaint* Venice Beach Cotel....let's just say....ghetto fabulous. Today is the day I head to Santa Monica...where I am NOT privy to drug deals and massive drunken brawls outside my hostel room (yup) and where there is a much nicer hostel!

But what about the music, Genevieve? Well, shit. I'm getting to that! With all this excitement and travel....I realized I actually hadn't picked up my guitar since my farewell show last tuesday! Whaaa? So I curled up in my bunk and strummed away...possibly have a new song in the works and am feeling much better. Today my friend Shannon and I will be gettin me a busking liscence to start peddling my talents with the rest of them on the Promenade! I may have been a sucker tourist for a few days...but now it's time to turn the tables! haha! You WILL think I'm an adorable Canadian and buy my CD! :-) Yes, oh yes you will....

Love to all for now!

xxx g

All The Things I Wasn't?

To be fair, my uber clever best friend came up with the title of this post in honour of my upcoming show with The Grapes Of Wrath.

This coming holiday Monday, Sept 7, 2009 at 6pm I will be opening for the two remaining members, Tom Cooper and Kevin Kane in an acoustic show at The Fernwood Inn here in Victoria. So to get myself prepared I thought this post would be my list of things I wasn't....

1. A University Student. I decided to study music my own way, avoid the $40, 000 minimum student loan debt, and learn on my own. I don't know half as much about philosophy as my studious counterparts, nor have I read the classics, but I turned out ok?

2. An Athlete. I never played any sports..never got caught up in the whole soccer/field hockey/ringette thing. I was too busy brooding and writing self-involved poetry and painting. I was cheerleader for a year...but that's another story...

3. A Band Geek. I don't believe in having regrets, but I kinda wish I was a band geek back in the day...but jazz band, not the other kind. Then I could have actually learned to play properly. And also know every song Coltrane ever recorded.

4. A Mom. Well not yet, anyway. I only put this because most women my age are...and well that would be my own personal version of hell. I love my nieces and nephew though! *handing crying baby off*

5. A kid who had EVERYTHING. I had all that I needed, which not only makes me super lucky but makes my parents super awesome. I had few things I wanted too when it was appropriate. I was taught to love life and experience and people. And to bargain shop.

6. A Minor-Niner. Only Ontarians get this one, but truly, I did not go to grade 9. My parents pulled my sister and I out of school and took us hostelling around Europe for 8 months. No lie. Raddest experience of my life. It bankrupt us and we had to live at my Grandma's for awhile... but like I said...experience..not material things is what my parents gave me more than anything.

7. A rebellious teenager. Instead I am an un-married, childless, rebellious adult who does not own a home or car. I won't grow up and you can't make me. *sticking out tongue*

8. A Successful Musician. Yet.

9. Someone who bought Crocs or Uggs. Ok, so I am running out of things here...but I am seriously just as proud of this one.

10. A Conservative. And. I. Never. Will. Be.

That is all, see you at the show!

g

G Salutes Favorite Humans: Nya!

Since my first year in my 30's is coming to close and there are 9 more to go..I wanted to take a moment to salute the humans in my life (and a few robots) that have truly made the last 31 years easier.

Nya Irwin (nee Bunkowsky)

Now this girl knows how to support. You know that blind kind of support that never EVER questions what you're doing? And comes to every single show possible? And spams all HER facebook/hotmail friends to come out to shows? And buys HOW many copies of my album to give to friends as gifts?Did I mention she asked me to play at her wedding?? You know that day where everything has to be perfect and you will remember for the rest of your life? Yeah, she wanted me there. And not in the usual, "i wanna torture you by shoving you in a matching dress and shoes" (although they were the hottest dresses and fiercest shoes i'd ever seen!--just ask Jody) but in the other way that says "I need you at my big day to do what you do best." That meant a lot.

There are many other reasons I heart Nya...but some things a girl has to keep in her heart just for herself (and I need to say something fresh at the special events to come in BOTH of our lives...) but I will say this; actually it's a quote from the great Nya herself about two weeks after us meeting and working together at a grimy bar coat check room..."So..you know when you meet someone, and you just know they are going to make a difference in your life..?" (this is when she very sweetly, with a lil smile, points at me.) *heart melts*.

Yup. That's my NyNy. Love ya, girl. (oh and that awesome dude you married--he's ok) *wink*

g-funk.

Sells Liquor. Has Opinions.

I work for a liquor company. The majority of my duties are served at one of our two stores. I provide customer service in the form of wine pairing advice, giving directions to the pizza joint next door, fielding inane questions about the construction going on beside us, and conducting monetary transactions for the common, liquor buying folk. There a few things that all ya'll could do to make this go a lot smoother for both of us and what I mean is my job will get less annoying and you get to not be made fun of to your face. Deal?

Here's the list:

If you're on the phone, fuck off and come back when you're not talking to your bff about your slack-ass bf/over-bearing mother/or the cut that you thought nothing of but now you might think is a staph infection. Seriously, fuck off. If you don't, I will stand and stare at you, saying nothing, holding up the line until you put the goddamm phone down and engage.

If it's a gorgeous day and you just came from the beach and you think it's no big D that you haven't put your shirt back on, fuck off and put your shirt back on. I should NEVER have to see your nipples. Ever.

You know when you chuck your visa/mc/debit card/money at me? Don't ever, ever do that. If you do, I will throw your liquor at you. Guess who wins? Me.

If you ask me advice about what would go great with grilled halibut and I say Pinot Gris and you go "huh...what about Yellowtail Shiraz?"?, I will stop talking to you. Period.

If you come in and ask "Do you have any Yellowtail Shiraz?", I will stop talking to you. Period.

If you're underage, get out of my store. Just get out. I'm like a police dog and I was onto you the second you parked your parents mini-van in the parking lot.

If I ask you for ID you are allowed to have two reactions: flattered compliance or calm compliance. Anything else isn't going to make me change my mind that you are 18, in fact it only solidifies my suspicion. But go ahead and have that temper tantrum, threaten me, tell me over and over that the "other girl" sells to you all the time. It only solidifies my suspicion. You can leave now.

The pizza joint is around the other side of the building and no, I don't know what their hours are.

What are they building over there? A building. I don't know who owns it. I don't know when it's going to be done. I don't know what's moving in there. Yes, it is quite noisy. Thanks for reminding me.

Ok, I think that's it for now...oh! just a little pet peeve that's just really creepy and gross...people who carry a bottle around the store for 20 minutes and then bring it to the counter and I have to touch thier sweaty hand print on the bottle. Yech. *shudder*

In short (too late) be aware that the world spins around a huge axis somewhere buried deep within the earth's crust. Last time I checked you cannot be found there. As a result, the world does not revolve around you.

See you at the store!

x-g