Adri Music & Blog, Canadian Female Indie Electronica. - People

Smell Memory

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:54:00 -0700

It's amazing how powerful smells are for recollecting memories. I once bought a hair wax (I know, what will they think of next?) that smelled exactly like a cheap waxy pink Holly Hobby little girl's makeup kit I had when I was really little. It was my first ever makeup, given to me as a gift - I doubt this went over well with my parents. I used shyly play wih it in the corner and pretend that I was a very stylish lady.

Every time I open that hair wax container now I am transported immediately to the land of five year olds, to the land of pink ribbons, perfect skin and a tiny perspective on the world. I am transported back to a time when I didn't know feminism, terrorism, sarcasm, cubism, agism or any other ism for that matter. It's a smell that reminds me of innocence.

Really, I could just sit here with my nose in that hair wax for hours. Who knew hairstyling could send you so far back in time?

Not So Sure About This Pedicure...

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:01:00 -0700

After feeling slightly apprehensive about the thought of being tickled intentionally I bit the bullet and had pedicure. I went to a trendy salon I had considered trying before in a nice part of town. It looked clean and was always packed when I walked by. That seemed like a good sign.

They do a bunch of things to your feet which involve various files and clippers. I had heard that this was a way to catch a fungus, but I didn't know if that was true. At one point the bashful asian girl working on my feet used a file which looked like it had some (fingernail) dust on it... I found this a bit alarming, since their website said they threw out all files between uses. I remember having a split second where I felt a flash of concern and then I told myself: they are professionals. Surely they know what they are doing.

Then, partway through the pedicure, the girl clipped my cuticle so closely on the right big toe that it started bleeding. That's when I really started to wonder... The pedicurist was very quiet about it, carefully dabbing it clean and making a face. (Perhaps not to alarm the other customers? ) Being in a trusting mood that day I let her carry on, since my feet were very dry and were partway through the treatment. Plus she had sprayed the clippers beforehand. It didn't hurt, and they were professionals, so who was I to question it? When I was done I produced my wallet and left a healthy tip (mainly out of habit.)

Later, I found myself with some creeping feelings... Remembering that the tools had come out of an unsealed open container... Thinking about how they added pumice paste to a big buffer after using it on my foot -- touching the spatula to the implement which was covered in my skin cells, then putting it back in the jar to be used again and again. I wondered, how many toes had those clippers touched before they nicked my feet? Was spraying sufficient to kill most disease? Did I subject my body to unnecessary risk?

I felt fairly calm, but I had this nagging concern -- so I went in search of answers. The first thing I did was call my dad, who is a medical doctor. He said something to the effect of "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?! WHY DID YOU GET A PEDICURE??!?! THOSE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING!!! DON'T YOU EVER DO IT AGAIN!!!" and used a few expletives which I won't repeat here. He also told me that spraying wasn't sufficient to kill much of anything, and that the girl must have been incompetent to cause bleeding.

Now, I have to tell you. My dad is normally a very reasonable man. Especially about body issues. If I call him feeling like I'm on the verge of expiration he is excellent at talking me out of blowing it out of proportion. He doesn't jump on any instant bandwagons and is a very critical thinker, always promoting logic and scientific reasoning. But the way he reacted that day I might as well have told him that I was pregnant and I was seeing a metaphysical healer who was giving me mercury capsules to promote good health.

Needless to say that didn't help settle my uneasiness.

A casual google search unearthed countless stories full of quotes from podiatrists and dermatologists regarding the dark side of pedicures... It's hard to tell how much of it to take with a grain of salt. One such story appeared 4 days ago and featured a lady who almost lost her toe after it was nicked while having her cuticles cut. In August pedicure safety legislation was proposed in California. And of course, how could I neglect to mention the (somewhat sensationalist-sounding) book "Death by Pedicure". I have no idea if this book is sound science, but the fact that it exists at all makes me wonder. There is also the story of one shop where about 100 women caught some horrible disfiguring disease and ended up in court. The same disease later struck another 75 pedicure recipients in California.

Naturally, I had to go back to the source. I phoned the nail place and and asked about the hygiene practices. The boss-lady with a heavy asian accent reassured me that "oh, we spray everything." Feeling concerned I pressed her some more. That didn't help so asked her directly if they soak their implements. She said that they did. I asked her how often, and she said every day. I felt a bit better after that... but... She did say more than once "If anything happens, you call me!" which seems to suggest that something, in fact, COULD happen. And that she may even expect it to.

I actually question the truthfulness of what she said -- because I had to prompt her. I mean, if the true answer is "no we don't soak things to sterilize them" she obviously wouldn't say so. She probably knows the health department would storm her shop immediately if they found out. The fact that she didn't offer up this detail on her website, at her nail shop, or when I first asked her about hygene without being specific seems less than ideal.

At least, it seems especially odd after going to a body-mod shop recently. The staff there explained exactly how they autoclave everything, soak everything, seal everything -- without prompting. They even have a video explaining it on their website. Clearly they know this is a big selling point. Wouldn't a posh nail place in a rich part of town want to work the same angle? Isn't that just good marketing?

Perhaps the overwhelming desire to be attractive is where safety falls by the wayside. After all, the mainstream accepts certain things which are slightly questionable for our health. Things such as high heeled shoes, hair dye, tanning beds, Accutane, and teeth bleaching. I am however extremely relieved that I don't have to deal with old school things like corsets, toe-binding, neck rings and skull shaping.

In any case I don't think I'll go back to to get a pedicure -- at least not there. Maybe never. My feet do look lovelier than before, and my toes are a lovely shade of delightful shimmery taupey pink... but perhaps in the future I can live with my regular unglamorous feet.

So the question is: has this happened to anybody else? And are there safer pedicure places to go?

Totally Random Wrong Number at the Front Door

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 20:45:51 -0700

Somebody just buzzed the front door of my apartment. The conversation went something like this:

A: Hello?
?: Let me in!
A: Hello???
?: Let me IN!!!!!
A: Who is this?
?: It's me !
A: I'm sorry, who are you?
?: It's your LOVER !
A: I'm sorry???
?: It's your Meeexican Looooover here...
A: I'm sorry?!?!
?: You know: your HOT Mexican Loooover!
A: Uhm, i think you must have the wrong suite number... Who are you looking for?
?: Anna Mariaaaaaaaa!
A: ?!?!?!
?: ...
A: I really think you must have pressed the wrong number..!
?: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
?: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
?: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
?: HA HA HA HA HA HA
?: Okay!... bye!
A: ... Uhm... good luck!!!

For a minute I thought perhaps it was my friend Keith G playing a ridiculous joke on me -- as he likes to make crazy phone voices when he calls people. But this guy really sounded like he meant business. He had an extremely sincere suggestive tone of voice. It seemed pretty clear that he thought he was talking to his hot girlfriend and they were about to get it on, and that my refusal to let him in was some kind of crazy role-play gag!

So I guess someone in my building is getting a good shag right now. At least I hope so.

My Very First Haiku

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 22:02:00 -0700

I was inspired by my friend Gill's Haiku from a couple nights ago. I thought I'd share mine with you:

Sometimes I make wind
I mean to keep it discreet
A sigh from my bum

I like hers better.

Another Totally Random Moment

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 01:13:52 -0700

Currently: sitting awake in bed with my iBook roasting my lap
Album Progress: need to make some calculations...
Beverage of choice: still green tea!
Listening to: Zero 7's new album "The Garden"
Most covet: a pair of divine boots from Fluevog... oh and a new Macbook Pro
Current favourite snack: yummy leftovers
Wish I was a: morning person
Favourite hobby: talking to the cats
Last great book: Photography Basics
Wish I didn't: have dustbunnies next to the bed...

Snapshot of Today

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:29:03 -0700

Begin totally random snapshot of this instant of my life:

Currently: taking care of my friend's 2 kids who have discovered water balloons for the first time (whoa!)
Album Progress: 75%
Beverage of choice: green tea
Listening to: SomaFM's Secret Agent internet radio station
Most covet: a new Macbook Pro
Current favourite snack: fig and anise bread with roasted red pepper hummus
Wish I was a: better known musician
Favourite hobby: taking photos and hanging out on Flickr
Last great book: The Future of Music
Wish I didn't: have the biggest pimple in the known universe

This snapshot was brought to you by The People for Totally Random Snapshots of One's Life

That's Karma!

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 31 May 2006 23:56:53 -0700

Today at the market I got seriously held up by someone. He was a charming older guy who made me guess his age. I generously guessed 68 but he was actually 80. He seemed to be in pretty good shape, despite his rather large hearing aid. He was exceedingly thirsty for conversation. The conversation started innocently enough when he suggested I buy a smaller sweeter variety of mangoes. Then for some reason I'll never understand he started sharing a very peculiar story.

He proceeded to tell me about one of the few times he was ever drunk, with some of his mates from basic training... He proceeded to go into great detail about his evening -- who he was with, all the places he woofed his cookies and where he ended up flaking out... To my amazement, he went into great detail, holding out his hands to describe a big green slimy bilious glob that came out of his body that night! His eyes were positively sparkling with glee, and all I could do was politely smile and nod. He was so descriptive, I could almost smell the barf in his hands.

I guess that's karma for ya -- when I chatted up an actress from my favourite show recently I probably held her up a bit too. The difference though, is that I was giving her gentle thanks and praise, whereas the person who held me up today shared his barf stories with me in great detail... HAHAHAH I'll never forget that either!

Shave Your Legs With a Phone!

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Mon, 22 May 2006 00:28:57 -0700

A friend of mine is on break right now from a really intensive drama program. I think she described it as being "trapped in a cave with Shakespeare!" She said she had gotten really disconnected as a result. To prove her point she told me about her unusual reaction to her friends new cell phone... After she complimented her friend on her new gadget, someone said it was a "razor" -- then my friend proceeded to get excited about the prospect of being able to shave her legs and take a phone call with it.

Of course, someone clued her in that the RAZR is actually just a really trendy phone by Motorola. I think she was a tiny titch disappointed.

Gone Too Early

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Sat, 20 May 2006 13:32:59 -0700

Earlier this week something well and truly horrible happened. Some people I really care about lost their sister/daughter/friend. She was a lovely, intelligent 20 year old with a bright future. She was horrifically murdered in her home. The accused killer is none other than her ex -- which I am sad to say is the statistically most likely person to do such a thing to a woman in Canada. He had previously been abusive, but I don't think anyone saw this coming.

I hope that society will one day get wise to the fact that this happens more than we realize. I really wish we could prevent this from happening anymore... What I wish most of all is for abused women everywhere to find the strength to leave for safety.

The family asks that donations be made to this shelter.

Battlestar Galactiworship

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Fri, 12 May 2006 11:45:07 -0700

So, well, everybody knows what a big geek I am. Naturally, as a big geek, I really like science fiction. I recently discovered that my new favourite TV show is Battlestar Galactica! It's SOOOOOOO amazingly good. It's really profound, riveting and thought-provoking television. Plus, it's really entertaining, has amazing acting and fantastic special effects.

Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the my favourite actress from the show, Mary McDonnell. I normally would NEEEEEEEEEEEVER approach someone like that (especially not as a Vancouverite!) ..but I was so overcome with gratitude that I felt compelled to approach her. She turned out to have a very gracious, open and friendly manner... Joking around and conspiring with me about how awesome the show is... She was a total sweetheart, she had a really disarming disposition. I can see how acting with her would bring out the best in the people around her.

I admit I was nervous as hell to talk with her, but I knew if I didn't I'd regret it later. I worry now about whether she minded, although I'm guessing she's likely forgotten all about it by now. It's hard enough approaching a complete stranger about anything, but a complete stranger that you admire is even worse. And yet, without the feedback of others how does an artist ever know if they're doing a good job? Art is completely unmeasurable...

Apparently they just won a Peabody award, which she said is a really big deal! It thrills me to think about how good television has gotten lately, and how it's actively being celebrated. I love greatness in all forms, especially when it entertains me... So say we all!!!

Organizing my Life...

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 01:32:00 -0800

Lately I've been taking great pleasure (and some degree of pain ) doing things you would previously have had to tie me to a chair to convince me to do. I credit a certain friend of mine for this latest adventure... One day, she convinced me to spontaneously reorganize the entire contents of my bedroom closets with her. It turned out to be incredibly pleasurable. After that, everything was fair game. She taught me how to file, sort, toss and store the objects of my life. 8 boxes of paperwork later, it feels like I have stepped into some alien parallel universe where objects can actually be found. I've been gradually seduced by the holy grail of Martha-Stewartism, brought into the light...

Much to my astonishment, people have been lately exclaiming "You're so organized!" I once had one of the scariest, slobbiest, most treacherous teenage bedrooms I've ever seen -- complete with questionable adolescent crap strewn all over the floor... Loads of studio equipment... And not an unused square centimeter for storage. When I moved out, friends who helped me move wondered where all the stuff was coming from. It seemed that the boxes of disks, CDs, and books were frantically making babies everytime we turned our backs.

So my latest project is reorganizing the home studio/office room. This has been the most satisfying one of all. In the past, it often became just a big dumping ground. It got so bad that it was stressful to just sit in that room, it felt like working in a trash heap. Finally with a little pressure and lots of help from the above friend, I went and did it. Nearly everything came out, and is gradually going back in. (Much less of it, thank God!) I decided to expand my desk space too, which seemed positively Lilliputian before. As we speak, I can hear the sounds of my Sweetie putting the new Ikea monstrosity together...

Aaah! The sweet sounds of fresh modular office furniture... What more could a girl want? Is this what it means to be Adult? Take great pleasure in office desks, filing systems and labelmakers...?

... perhaps I need to bake my friend a cake!

The Uterus Convention

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 18:14:00 -0700

The other day I was visiting a really lovely slightly squeamish gay friend of mine, and he had two of his best girlfriends over. The girls and I clicked like a few squawking hens hatching a master plan to make something over. Somehow all females in the room were from the persuation of sexually blunt conversation makers... and to my friend's great discomfort we started talking about crotch friendly pants. And then we started talking about discussing uteruses, which got us actually discussing uteruses, cervixes, and the whole ball of wax...

What is there to discuss about female parts, you may ask?

Well, there is a lot of mystery about them, surely as anybody who's tried to operate one knows... Owning one is also quite cryptic as it's all tucked out of the way from your general daily life. One can actually pleasantly ignore the exitence of it entirely for a better part of one's life, should one choose... So this is why when a few people who belong to this secret sect of uterus owners may suddenly burst into conversation about it. It's not really to make the dudes uncomfortable -- it's mostly a product of secrecy, lack of information and general confusion about the darned things!

Next time it happens, why don't you bring up your morning hard-ons and see what happens? I surely wouldn't mind.

The Metrosexual Revolution

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 16:06:42 -0700

So the other day my friend tells me she doesn't know what a 'metrosexual' is. I stared at her, totally incredulous, because you'd have to have had your head buried so far in the sand to have no idea. (Actually no, I think she just doesn't have cable.) But, interestingly, the definition of a metrosexual varies widely. I always understood it to mean, basically, a straight gay guy. A guy with so many gay markers you'd swear he was gay, but he's actually straight.

But then, someone else has sworn to me that I've got it wrong. He tells a metrosexual is a guy with too many skin creams and a metropolitan attitude towards shopping. A guy who calls hair goop 'product'. A guy who has as many shoes as the typical 15 year old XX chromosome mall rat specimen. This is what he calls a metrosexual, and by that definition I wonder if gay men can be 'metro' too.

On my quest for more profound knowledge, I did a search in Wikipedia's Wiktionary and it seemed to support both definitions. Who really knows... The fact that we have a name for this recent stereotype seems quite telling.

Is metrosexual the new hippie? And are the Fab Five from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy the new Timothy Leary?

The One Where My Dad Eats Chocolate...

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Sun, 29 May 2005 13:36:15 -0700

I just showed my dad my blog. He seemed quite happy I must say, I think I cheered him up. He was all down about his computer skills, because he's still new to his iBook... He just confessed to me how embarassing and humiliating it is not being great at computing right now. He's actually a great man who knows a ton of things about most everything. Just ask him about the regimes of Renaissance Europe or the inner ear canal. He will know lots about both. He is somewhat encyclopedic... so I don't think he needs to feel bad about not knowing something yet, that always has to happen before you DO know something.

I actually really admire my dad, and I can totally relate to feeling crappy about not being great at something. It really sucks ass.

P.S. I just asked my dad if Renaissance takes a capital R. He informs me it does, and then tells me "I could be bullshitting..." and walks away while eating a square of really really really dark chocolate. That is my dad.