| Two Dreams |
Lance asked me a couple days ago if I had been dreaming lately – I usually have wild dreams and share them with him in the morning. I guess I hadn’t been telling him about my dreams. Well the past two mornings I’ve had quite the dreams to share. I thought they’d make good blog material so here they are:
Dream #1 “Dorm Parents Nightmare”
Periodically I have dreams about our work at CLBI where the students totally don’t respect me. Usually it’s about curfew.
I woke up sweating and tense. The reason? The students were running rampant long after curfew. Curfew is 11pm on weekdays – and in the dream they were all in the courtyard making plans to go out on the town at 3:15am! There I was (Lance must’ve been away, leaving me in charge – long time readers may remember a past entry – Jan 27 – where Lance was away and I had to deal with a wild student adventure) trying to gain control, while trying not to sound like a bag. Finally I said, “Okay, you can go out but you should think about the consequences”, someone mockingly mentioned work fines – which is our main consequence for breaking curfew. Then I said, “And remember, you all have class at 8 in the morning and I will be coming through the dorms to wake you up, and I’ll have water”. One student – a particularly nice girl who rarely has a bad attitude – looks at me challengingly and calls my bluff, “You wouldn’t do that”. What could I say? Somewhat snarkely I replied, “I never said what I was going to do with the water”. Oooh, great comeback. There was a bit more to the dream but I’ll leave it at that.
Dream #2 “Wild Wedding”
Last night we ran into a friend who is a wedding photographer and she described a disastrous wedding she had just done the photos for (complete with the one year old son of the groom needing stitches). This must’ve made it’s way into my subconscious and affected my dream.
The dream began with Melanie and I in my bedroom (at my folk’s place) choosing clothes to wear for a wedding we were attending. Melanie was wearing at green dress and was quite excited about heading into my mom’s garden to find a flower to pin on her dress. I must’ve been in a wild mood because the clothes I was trying on were crazy combinations – the colours matched but the mixing of patterns was too much. Moving on. The wedding we were attending was Leah’s!
That’s right – fellow blogger Beah starred in this dream. We arrived at the wedding and found seats in the balcony of the church – which was actually a cross between a garden conservatory (glass walls and roof) and a cathedral. Upon sitting down we realized that because of a poorly constructed balcony we couldn’t see the front of the church from our seats. We walked to the edge of the balcony and could see that Lance had saved us seats on the main floor – right by the aisle. Great. The problem was that the wedding was almost beginning. Now in real life I tend to arrive late for things and have arrived at a wedding at the same time the bride is entering (awkward moment greeting the bride before she walks down the aisle). Anyways, we decided we’d run down and try to make it to those seats before the bridesmaids and Leah entered. We didn’t quite make it and actually ended up in the aisle with the bridesmaids. I was able to slip into a seat and avoid being there long – but Melanie, finding herself directly in front of the bridesmaids decided to make the most of the situation and strut her stuff. She walked a ways down the aisle – like a cheesy model, swiveling her hips and holding her chin up – and then found a seat. Leah turned to me (boy was I glad to be sitting) and full of frustration whispered forcefully, “Aimee, who were those people?!!?!” (I think one of my brothers was also with Melanie in the aisle) Before I could respond she recognized Melanie and said to her with a mix of incredulity, sadness, and anger, “Melanie!?!?”
Before I add the final details of the dream (the wedding did go on) I must say that Leah was not her usual beautiful self – she had a very short, puffy haircut that didn’t suit her and was not stylish. Okay so the wedding went on and Leah and her bridesmaids, in the pink iridescent dresses, made their way down the aisle. If you read my mom’s blog you’ll know we were recently at a wedding where there was a dove release – well a version of that made it into my dream. There were two men – one on each side of the aisle that were involved in a pigeon arch of sorts (sorry Leah, not even doves) One man would release the pigeon and it would fly over the aisle to the other man, who would catch it and release it back to the other fellow. They shuffled their way along the sides of the aisle making a pigeon ark over the girls – that’s tempting fate, or Murphy’s Law, who wants pigeon poop on their wedding dress?
That’s it, I woke up before the wedding finished. Again I woke up somewhat tense, I mean we almost ruined the wedding by trying to rush down the aisle to our seats. Isn’t it interesting that my mind conveniently had Melanie strutting down the aisle and myself avoiding that. Sorry Melanie.
Since I didn’t go to Leah’s wedding I don’t know how accurately this dream reflected her actual wedding – maybe we’ll need to see a photo from her wedding as proof of how it actually was.
Well, I guess this turned out to be a long blog – I hope you laughed.
Aimee |
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| Winnipeg and Cute Boys |
Hello Folks,
So, it has been awhile. Right now Lance and I are in Winnipeg visiting our very good friends Phil and Ingrid and their little boys Silas and Beck. Phil and Lance have been friends since boyhood. After they got married (five years ago this summer) Phil and Ingrid moved to Vancouver. We really enjoyed getting them often when we lived out that way too. They moved to Winnipeg the same summer we moved to Camrose. They are very important people to us. Since we were in Saskatchewan for a wedding we thought we'd keep heading east and visit them. It'll be a long drive home to BC. As Melanie pointed out before we left, it's half the country -- and she should know, having made many trips across this great land.
We arrived here yesterday evening and have been enjoying our time immensely. I got to babysit the boys for a bit today. Both are just getting over being sick so they are especially cuddly - nice! Silas is 4 and Beck is 1 and a half. They are so cute we can't get over it. It is so fun to get to talk with Silas and goof around with Beck. Lance is absolutely crazy for these fellas.
Silas asked me today if he could be me when he grew up. Ahhh. How touching. But honestly, the reason he wants to be me is because I was a "stamping machine". We were playing with a stamp today and he was having a hard time making good stamps on the paper - I was quite good at it and he called me a "stamping machine". It was in that context that he wanted to be me. Still cute.
Guilt relief. I had been feeling guilty about not getting some internship work done -- but at the wedding we were at I was able to tie up two important loose ends - that feels good.
Maybe that's all for tonight.
Have a deep sleep.
Aimee |
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| Antenna |
This has been a full journey. And it has been so fantastic to do it with so many people we love. The majority of the studio time is now finished. We will do a little bit more at the end of the month, then comes mixing, graphic design, mastering, pressing and the hopefully the CD will be finished in September some time. The process is far from over. We are so grateful for this opportunity and look forward with great anticipation, looking and listening. |
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| Hand Clap Choir |
This is our hand clap choir: kenton, aimee, bruce, lance. We clapped in "The Song for Silas". After many grueling rehearsals we were able to work out all of the key changes and finally nailed our part. PS. Kenton was the soprano. |
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| Studio Aimee |
Here is beautiful Aimee playing the Cabasa on "Keep on Driving". Not only does she make her husband weak in the knees, the girl's got rhythm. |
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| Sweet Sheree |
This is Sheree Plett. She sings like a bird. Here she is adding her voice (which often slays me)to "The Incomplete" - haunting and beautiful. Can't wait for you to hear it! Oh, you definately should check out her website: www.shereeplett.com to hear her music and learn about her. |
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| Red Resonator |
This is an old National Resonator. It had the perfect sound for "Unraveling". |
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| Bruce the earnest |
Here Bruce is doing some background vocals with brilliance. Not only does he have a great ear for harmony and a super cool voice, he is furry and cute (this is Lance and not Aimee writing at this point). |
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| Jonathan and the Banjo |
This is Jonathan Anderson. He is a friendly chap and a fine musician. His playing made Lance's face sore from grinning all day. Here he is playing on "Pilot Me". |
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| Jonathan and the Guild |
Here Jonathan is playing on the song "Hope". It was a special moment we all shared, and one that changed Bruce's life. |
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| Laughing Mel |
We loved having Mel Hayes in the studio with us. Her voice is lovely and she's such a character. |
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| Pictures |
| I'm not sure how to orchestrate in what order my photos go. I added some new ones today, after I posted the "The winner is" post, but they appear before it. So if you want to see some new photos, just scroll down. |
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| And the Winner is... |
Wow. What great responses I received for the photo contest. The truth about the photo: this is my mom and she is shooting at squirrels in our backyard with a pellet gun. As you may know from reading my mom's blog we have a serious squirrel epidemic in our yard. We figure about ten squirrels live in this small area. They eat from our bird feeders, get fat and spread their germs all over the place. We used to like them (at one point years ago, my mom fed them!!!!), but now there are too many. So, in an attempt at population control we got a hold of a pellet gun...
Lance and Steve did all the shooting at first, but the next day they were gone so mom and I took matters into our own hands. We had done a couple practice shots the previous day. When it came to actually shooting the squirrels we were crack shots - we didn't miss! If you are worried about us killing squirrels, worry no longer. We hit many but killed none. The gun wasn't powerful enough. They flinched when we hit them and then ran away just fine. After that day of shooting -- which did cause some tension in me -- we quit this tatic. We didn't really want to be wounding them.
So now we are doing nothing about the squirrel problem. Except take pictures of them.
Now, about the contest. The winners for the first question are: Erin, Kristal, and Heidi. Good work girls.
Before announcing the winner of the second question I'd like to share a few highlights. You guys had me in stitches.
Kristal: "Kathy was in her bathroom and decided it needed some new decor, so she decided a stuffed squirrel or two would be complimentary on the walls." YUCK!
Heidi: "(headline on front page news) Startling Discovery of Photograph Brings to Light a Hidden Clue in the On-going Mystery...Who Really Shot JFK?"
Daddy O (my father-in-law, a brand new reader, jumping right in with some great responses): Bathrobe Bounty "There's a price on somebody's head." and "This is Spa Skeet Shooting at it's best" Hilarious!!!
Katelyn's answer cracked me up too. What a great story, the thing that was the funniest about that one was that when we were practicing our shooting my mom was so good that she blew the head off a buttercup! My brother Steve wasn't there and doesn't believe she actually did it. Well she did, and it made our yard look, "marginally better". Here's Katelyn's entry:
"Kathy does not have any clean laundry one morning, but she doesn't want to go outside in her bathrobe. Unfortunately the dandylions are overpowering her garden and something needs to be done. She cannot go outside so while her laundry is drying she shoots all the flowers off the dandylions in order to make her garden look marginally better."
I've done my best not to be biased in choosing a winner of the contest. I judged by creativity and hilarity. The winning entry caught me totally off guard. It was completely different from all the others in its format and content. The winner is Cara! Here's her entry:
"It's a picture from one of the cards in the new Trading Card game called, "Super Moms: The Undisclosed Duties." Housecoat Harasser: Pest Control Captain. Advantage: unassuming. Strength: 3.
For each other robe clad mom you can spot Housecoast Harasser is strength plus 2."
Cara is a new mother herself. I wonder what other "undisclosed duties" she has discovered since joining the ranks of the super moms. Congratulations Cara!!
Hope you are all well.
Aimee |
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| Miss Mac |
well hello folks... steven here... (best engineer in the world...) i captured this shot of aimee hard at work keeping you all posted. upon asking aimee why she is keeping you all so well informed she responded 'what else am i supposed to do here!' hahaha! i guess we all have our different talents. If you're lucky, aimee will post a picture of me in my newly designed half beard. cheers! steven@steveklassen.ca |
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| Vocals |
Here's Lance recording some vocal parts. His voice is sounding excellent. |
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| Cara & Sarah |
Just before heading home Cara and Sarah take a quick peek at the studio. |
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| Enthusiastic Steve |
Here Steve is being cheesy and wanting to add a "Tibetan Prayer Bell" in a song. He was really getting into playing it -- the camera doesn't do the moment justice. Are you wondering about the red cord around his head? Me too. He wore it like that for hours, carefully tucking it back in whenever it fell off. Beats me. |
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| Nose Tape |
To remind Lance to breath through his mouth -- which is quieter and won't sound like a rushing wind through the guitar mics -- his nose was taped shut. |
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| Housecoat Harasser |
Here's a rendition of the trading card -- should we get on the marketing for this concept Cara? |
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| Bruce on the Piano |
Here's Bruce playing the piano for an awesome part on "Hope". He wrote it -- it is strong, haunting and hopeful. |
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| All the Guys |
So here are Bruce, Steve and Lance working hard in the studio. What note's should Bruce play. I have two other versions of this picture - in each of them Steven has his hands over his face. It was late, and this one note was driving him crazy. Much to his joy they discovered another note to replace it, so you won't have to cover your ears when you listen to the CD. |
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| The Dusty Old Wurlitzer |
Nelson played the Wurlitzer on a number of songs -- what a great sound. I'm sure you'll love it. |
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| Steve at Work |
Please pray for Steven (and Bruce and Lance) he has been working so hard. We don't get much sleep and the work days are very long. |
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| String-ensemble |
Nelson is playing an old-school keyboard called a "String-ensemble". It's cheesy but Steve thought it would sound just right in one song - he was right. |
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| Cheeseball Nelson |
Here is Nelson hamming it up. He's flying - incase you couldn't tell. |
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| Nelson at the Grand. |
It was so great having Nelson. Here he is getting ready to play a part for the song "Pilot Me". |
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| Mid Idea |
Bruce in the middle of explaining an idea to Lance - I can't remember what it was, but I do remember it was good. |
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| Funny Steve |
We have really appreciated the chance to work with Steve (my brother) on another project. He is so smart and has great ears and creative thoughts. He is also quite funny. He had us in stitches this morning when he was talking to the tech support guy for his phone. He was saying goofy things and questions like, "I love the internet" and "What are some of your favorite websites" to which the guy was caught off guard and said he didn't have any. Well, he obviously isn't a part of a blog ring. |
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| James Dean |
So I think that Steve looks a little like James Dean in this pose. |
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| A Musical Moment |
Lance really getting into the music - or should I say getting into entertaining. |
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| Roy in action |
Roy, busy as always, helping set up the mics to get a great guitar sound. |
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| Bruce |
Bruce Rawling (from AB) is helping with production ideas and playing some bass and guitars. We've appreciated his thoughtful and encouraging and constructive comments. It's great having him on board. |
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| Kenton |
They recorded the drums last week. Here's a picture of Kenton Wiens - friend and drummmer. |
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| The Recording |
Hi guys,
I'm writing from the studio where Lance is recording his Cd. I've posted some pictures so you can get a feel for what's going on. Things are going really well and we are enjoying the project. It has been great to have my brother working with us as well as Bruce Rawling (from Alberta) too. Today was guitar tracking day, still is as a matter of fact. They usually work quite late. Who knows how long they'll go tonight.
I've made it over some big project hurdles with my CLBI work and am now onto some smaller (as in less pressing) jobs. I can work from the studio and I did that today. I also plan to relax some too.
Well, I've been at the computer too much today, I'm getting a sore wrist, so I better go.
Hey, thanks for all the great entries in the guestbook - so much creativity!
Aimee |
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posted by Aimee at 
