Elgan speaks
...and her words thunder across the land

All that jazz.

Monday, Jul. 2, 2007
10:15 a.m.
Well, I think I figured out the UPS problem as it happened again just as I was typing up an entry (I hadn’t got very far with it) and the computer shut off as the power suddenly went off and came back on again. There are eight outlets on the battery box, four are labeled Surge Protection Only, the other four are labeled Battery Backup & Surge Protection. Guess which one I had the computer plugged into? Yep. That’s right. So I've switched the plugs around and hopefully I’ll get the power outage protection I paid for.

When I checked my email, this D’land note was waiting for me:

from comfuzzled: Hi there! This is just a friendly reminder letting you know that you've been nominated for Greatest Documented Life at the Second Annual Comfuzzled Awards hosted by Morticon's Cave! The voting will take place on July 29th. Until then we encourage you to let your friends know to vote for you! Visit our homepage to pick up a banner for your site!
morticon is someone very pleasant I met in the chat room a long time ago. I think that’s pretty neat.

But neither of those things were what I intended to write about when I turned on the computer this morning. As you may or may not know, the

is on right now, one of the best festivals ever, with performers from all over the world and Canada on free stages scattered around Place des Arts and inside the building in concert halls (those cost $$ but are definitely worth it). Last night, Hubby, Kevin O and I went to hear a trio, the guitarist of which my husband remembers having seen in his youth. They were amazing, totally mind blowing. The drummer had a huge rock kit (I’ve never seen anything like it, although I’m told it’s de rigueur for rock drummers) which he played with such elegance and ability. The guy must be 65 or so, and he had the energy of a kid. The bassist was phenomenol. Kevin O knows him from way back (they’ve played together apparently) and was at first wanting to go backstage to see him, but then decided not to.

After we came outside, we passed by one of the free stages and saw this band playing there, a bunch of middleaged guys from Alberta, and I recognized the bass player as the same guy Hubby and I played with last November when we were in Calgary at the reception following the premiere of his orchestra piece. We got to greet him after they’d finished their set, before going around the front of the building to another free stage where one of Hubby’s favourite jazz singers was performing with her band.

About half-way through her set I started to experience pain, lower abdominal (premenstrual, dontcha know) and aural overload (hyperacusis, my bane) and finally got the boys to move on as she started her last or penultimate number. We found our car and drove home On Thursday we get to do it all over again as we have tickets to hear this band. We’re hoping to have better weather (it rained off and on yesterday) so we can go earlier and catch more of the free stage stuff.

In the meantime, Hubby saw the headlines in today’s paper and asked me if I remembered why I had been so anxious to visit the UK this summer. This is one of the airports we will be flying into. Not encouraging.

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