Oh my ashcan, it has been far too long. After an almost full year hiatus, well let’s not mince words, it was an abandonment, I am making the attempt to delve back in the blog with new enthusiasm and goals. it’s best a hardship to try and find the voice I have needed to dedicate myself more fully to this, but I think I may be able to do it now. I fear it will be more self indulgent than ever, but let’s face it, like everyone I love talking about myself and the things I like. Maybe you’ll like them too.
So on this delightfully sunny Sunday afternoon as I drink a nice pot of tea and croon along to Elvis I will jump back in.
The main focus of the historical ashcan school of thought was to see the world around you see the beauty that it contained, even if at first glance to grit and grim of everyday life covered it with drabness. I have taken that to heart and try to see the positive aesthetic qualities in the different parts of my world. This starts at home. I moved to Montreal about 8 years ago and have lived in the same building the whole time. The apartment has seen a few different room mates over the years but after the post secondary education years come to an end the room mates left and I took over the place and made it totally my own. I am a big proponent of creating your own space, this most likely stemming from the fact that I’m a pretty big home body. So I have worked to create the environment around me that reflects myself and what I love. Apparently that came through in knick knacks, particularly sets from a childhood salt and pepper collection I dug up on a trip back to my mother’s home in the country side. This amused an ex-boyfriend to no end since I put salt and pepper on hardly anything.
The other thing in my apartment and life that I love to no end is my vinyl collection and growing it. I love vinyl. I love the sound quality, I love the ritual, the concepts that can be created around the limitations of times per side and I love love the covers. Record cover art can be brilliant. That’s a topic I do plan to jump many times over, but for the moment I just want to share that it is my favourite time of year, it’s time for the Montreal Spring Record Convention, April 28th. I’m giddy as all get out for this day. I’m getting a list put together on what to get. Any 60s garage I don’t already own and probably another girl group record or two will be in my bag at the end of the afternoon. If you’re in town do yourself a favour and stop by.