Girls, girls, girls…

Now, granted, I have my “What Not to Wear” days, too. But, for the love of fashion, could we please stop wearing our sweatpants everywhere? What is it with teenagers going to the mall in their lulus? I don’t know why this irritates me so much, but it does.

What else is new…

Parliament’s back in session. Excellent. More talk and no action.

Have you seen the new NHL ads? My word. A lot of money for nothing.
First of all, they stole their slogan, “My NHL” from TSN. Ever seen the “My Sportscentre” ads with Steve Nash, Paul Tracy and Co.? The TSN ads are better. They actually have REAL ATHLETES WITH CREDIBILITY rather than a nobody. Now, I’m all for appealing to the common person, blah, blah, blah. But when you’re trying to revive a dying sport? You pull in the big guns, like, um, Wayne Gretzky? People who made hockey an actual sport in the US in the early 90s? And the whole kung fu thing? Focus on marketing one sport at a time. Kung fu probably gets better ratings in the US than hockey. You’re going to turn people on to kung fu. Nicely done. And the scantily clad woman. If the NHL gets cheerleaders, I’m done. I can barely stand CFL cheerleaders, and most of the time they’re fully dressed because it’s too freaking cold up here! And if every guy thinks that some half-naked woman is going to lace up his skates before a game, get serious. Go lace up your own skates. Or get those new ones without laces from Canadian Tire. Come on. My Leafs are going to suck horribly this year. At least bring the psycho goalie commercials back…

I am done with “Desperate Housewives”. Seriously. What a crappy season premiere. But the prisoner in the basement of Alfre Woodward’s house. That’s it. I can’t handle the creepiness anymore.

And on that note, I must go watch “Corner Gas”…

Oh where oh where have my Riders gone?

Where have my Riders of old gone? My Riders who lose games in the final minutes? They’ve been gone the last couple of weeks. I wonder if I should send out a search party for them. I’m getting kind of worried. But have no fear – I’m sure they’ll show up at the wrong place at the wrong time. But they’ll show up. Trust me.

I was very excited by their win last night. But, when I woke up this morning, I realized that I needed to ground myself again. Remember: 99% of the time, the Riders will let you down. They need to earn my devotion again. I’ve tagged along far too many seasons and had my heart broken. Now it’s time for them to step up and win me back. What a dysfunctional relationship…

So, today I had my first scene rehearsal. Not too bad. Not too bad at all. My French isn’t even too bad. I had a nice chat with Hayley, my double cast partner, and newbie from the Academy. It just further confirmed my suspicions that I shouldn’t be professional singer. She wants to be single and travel the world for years. I don’t. I want to stay in one place, find a guy, get a stable job and travel on my own terms. But, maybe I’m looking too hard for signs…

I had such a great teachign week. Minus the bogus lesson I had with a 35 year old Korean womena whose English isn’t so great, and wants to learn how to sing, but not how to read music. She has a 1/2 hour to kill while her son takes a guitar lesson. So, she wants to learn how to sing. Great. I have no idea what to do with her…

But, I’ve received a couple of compliments from parents this week who tell me that their children really like my classes. Plus, one boy gave me a hug when he said, “Thank you Miss Nicole!” before he left. It was so cute. I was so touched. I was walking on a cloud for the rest of the day. And I’ve realized that I know a lot more about singing and music than I thought. And I’m getting much better at explaining things. Teaching makes me happy. I feel like I’m actually contributing something to society. Hmmm…

And those blasted Eskimos just beat the Lions. I was so hoping the Lions would beat them, remain undefeated and then get killed by us next week. Their losing means that they’re going to dismantle us next week. Kiss that winning streak goodbye…

Well, I supposed I should go and have some supper and then figure out what to do. It’s Saturday night! Go do something!

Geez…

The game of “What is Nicole going to be when she grows up?” continues. But I do feel I’m on the home stretch. But I’m not about to tell anyone until I know for sure. I always write/speak before I think. This time I’d like to do the opposite. And then I don’t have to backtrack.

Riders. So, I went to a movie instead of watching the game. For a number of reasons. So, I taped it. And I watched it over two days due to time constraints, waiting to see the block field goal when – ha! The 3 minute warning goes in the game, and my tape reverts to an old episode of “The West Wing”. Seems I should have put the timer on a little longer. So, I haven’t seen the blocked kick. You never see a blocked kick! I want to see the blocked kick!

Leafs – not worth more than this one line yet…

Oh, I love teaching. Teaching makes me feel like I’ve done something good for the human race. I started my “Music for Little Mozarts” class today. It’s a group piano clas for 4-6 year olds. They’re so cute. And so well-behaved. It helps when they’re parents are in the room! But, I have a tonedeaf 6 year old who wants to sing. And I’ve got to figure out how to get her to keep a tune. I think that will be priority #1. Because – a year’s worth of teaching this kid and she can’t keep a tune? Worthless.

School is slowly starting. I have my first voice lesson tomorrow. I am now able to inhale without coughing up half of my lungs, so this is progress. I’ve got a HUGE scene to learn. It takes me an hour to go through it. And those are just my parts. I bet it’s a 20 minute scene. Pretty big. For me, at least. And – NO KISSING. There will be NOOOOOOOOOO stage kissing. I am so relieved. For oh so many reasons.

I would normally put a political rant here, but you know what – but I honestly don’t know where to begin. First of all, go see “The Constant Gardener”. That is the first movie I’ve seen where I’ve been speechless afterwards. It’s that good. Secondly – I don’t know. Go read the new book on Brian Mulroney. And then go write one on his son. That’s the only way we’ll get rid of him…

You know, it’s so much easier moving back to a city the second time around. I’ve got jobs now, unlike last fall when I sat around for 4 months, waiting for Christmas to roll around. I was a little ticked off to be back here so soon, but now I’m happy to be back. Except for the bus trips everyday. Those are getting a little old…

Since I was teaching today, I missed “House”. So, I’m going to watch it. And maybe I’ll find a new episode of “Airline”. Watching what goes on in airports is interesting.

(Only 3 more sleeps ’til the Riders play Toronto!)

A little quiz…

001.Name: Nicole Lindsey Kimm Hamm
002.D.O.B.: October 3, 1982. That’s soon people! Remember that!
003.Location: My bedroom in Vancouver, BC.
004.Religion: Seventh-Day Adventist. Say that 3 times.
005.Occupation: Student at the Vancouver Academy of Music/Voice and Piano Teacher at the Salina Cheng Music Academy and Life Skills Worker for the Mainstream Association for Proactive Community Living. And say that 3 times, too.

APPEARANCE
001.Hair: As long as it’s been in 15 years. But it’s still not terribly long. It’s dark brown with reddish highlights.
002.Eyes: Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue.
003.Height: 5’2″ and proud of it. Small things can pack big punches…

STYLE
001.Clothing: If I had lots of money, I’d be trendy. But I don’t, so I’m half trendy, half classic.
002.Music: Into country right now. Not sure why, but I am. Anything but rap, heavy metal and Britney Spears.
003.Make-up: Um – foundation, lip gloss, blush, eyeliner, mscara, eyeshadow. The basics.
004.Body art: No. I do want to get my ears pierced at some point. I’m just working up the courage to do so…

RIGHT NOW
001.Wearing: Dark jeans, tweed top, black cardigan, black socks, brown belt with turquoise/silver front, turquoise ring, silver ring, silver watch, silver bangles, turquoise necklace.
002.Listening to: CMT. It’s comfort music, justlike there’s comfort food.
003.Thinking of: People are going to think I’m silly for listening to country music. But I just don’t care. Keith Urban is hot.

LAST THING YOU…
001.Bought: A bus ticket.
002.Ate and drank: Some chicken noodle soup followed by some ice cream…
003.Read: In Her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner. What? It was summer. I needed a good beach read…
004.Watched on TV: CNN’s Newsnight with Aaron Brown.

EITHER / OR
001.Club or houseparty: Houseparty.
002.Tea or coffee: Tea. Caffeine free.
003.Achiever or slacker: I’m a slacker until the last minute, and then I’m an achiever.
004.Beer or cider: Neither.
005.Drinks or shots: Neither.
006.Cats or dogs: Too close to call. I like cats in kitten form only.
007.Single or taken: Single. Almost 23 years and counting…
008.Pen or pencil: Doesn’t matter.
009.Gloves or mittens: Mittens for sure.
010.Cassette or cd: Um, CD. Duh…
011.Coke or Pepsi: I hate pop.
012.Hard or mild alcohol: Silly question – neither…
013.Matches or a lighter: You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to use a lighter. I can never get the thing to work. Either way, I’m scared of burning myself with them.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO…
001.Kill: Well, it’s been awhile since I updated by “hit” list. Osama Bin Laden. The reward money would probably be pretty good. But seriously, my brother and sister say I don’t like anybody, so, watch out!
002.Hear from: Anybody!!!!
003.Get really wasted with: Nobody.
004.Look like: Kate Winslet. The woman loves her curves.
005.Be like: My Mom.
006.Avoid: Nobody, surprisingly.

LAST PERSON YOU… AND WHEN?
001.Touched: The person I sat beside on the bus.
002.Talked to: Samantha, my last voice student.
003.Hugged: Heidi. Although it was more of a half-hug because I was sitting down.
004.Instant messaged: My sister.
005.Kissed: My Mom before I got on the plane back to Vancouver.

WHERE DO YOU…
001.Eat: Living room on the couch, even though we have a perfectly nice dining room table.
002.Dance: Anywhere where I’m BY MYSELF.
003.Cry: In my bedroom beside my window.
004.Wish you were: At home.

HAVE YOU EVER…
001.Dated one of your best friends? What does dated mean? Je ne comprend love/dating-speak…
002.Loved somebody so much it makes you cry? Well, my family…
003.Drank alcohol? Nope.
004.Done drugs: Does Ibuprofen count??
005.Broken the law: All the time – I’m always speeding.
006.Ran away from home: When I was 5 I’d pack up all the things I could in this little red McDonald’s bag I had, and I’d go outside and “run away” across the yard.
007.Broken a bone: Everybody should know this answer by now: 3. Right arm once, left arm, twice.
008.Cheated on a test: Yes. Surprised? In Grade 3 on a Sciene Test I didn’t study for because it was right around Music Festival, and on a Grade 5 Phonetics test that was just stupid. I cried for 2 days straight after both incidents and confessed to my teachers.
009.Skinny dipped: Um, no.
010.Played truth or dare: I don’t think so.
011.Flashed someone: I don’t have anything anybody would want to see..
012.Mooned someone: Double no.
013.Kissed someone you didn’t know: No. I’m too afraid to kiss people I do know. Mind you, kissing people you don’t know would negate the whole “I have to see you again sometime” thing. It’s worth a thought…
014.Been on a talk/game show: I was a judge on Luther Idol. And I was on Wheel of Fortune at church camp one year. I can’t remember what the answer was, but I said “on” instead of “in” or something like that, and lost. If I had answered correctly, I would have won and been in the finals. I was so embarassed…
015.Been in a fight: With my sister every day when I’m home.
016.Ridden in a fire truck: I don’t think so.
017.Been on a plane: Many times.
018.Come close to dying: Not that I know of…
019.Cheated on your boy/girlfriend: Impossible.
020.Gave someone a piggy back/shoulder ride: Yes. My little cousins.
021.Eaten a worm/mud pie? Probably when I was little.
022.Swam in the ocean: No. It’s way too cold. But I’ve stuck my feet in.
023.Had a nightmare/dream that made you wake up: Yeah. Many. I duck my head under the covers, leave a little room for air to get in, and go back to sleep.

WHAT IS…
001. Music you can’t stand? Bubblegum pop crap.
002.Your bedroom like? A small white room (sounds like an asylum…) with my bed, two bookcases full of books and things, a closet, and my computer desk.
003.Your favorite thing for breakfast? Hashbrowns. It rarely happens anymore.
004.Your favorite thing for lunch? Anything from Tim Hortons!
005.Your favorite thing for dinner? Anything involving potatoes. And cream gravy…
006.Your favorite Restaurant? You know, I really like Swiss Chalet. It’s true.

ARE YOU…
001.A Vegetarian?: No. I would die.
002.A Good Student?: Yes.
003.Good At Sports?: I can throw a pretty tight spiral on a football. If I would have actually participated in sports in school, I probably would have been not too bad. Not all-star material, but good.
004.Good at wakeboarding/snowboarding: I’m a very cautious snowboarder. Remember the broken arms??
005.A Good Singer?: Depending on the day.
006.A good Actor/Actress?: My teacher says I am. I can be a bit over-dramatic in life as well.
007.A deep sleeper?: I’d say medium. I don’t wake up a lot, but if there’s a big crack of thunder or something like that, I’ll wake up.
008.A Good Dancer?: Nope.
009.Shy?: Yes when I’m with people I don’t know. And to them – I’m not snobby. I just don’t know you yet!
010.Outgoing?: I like to be.
011.A good storyteller?: Only if I know the story really well – or am making it up.
012.Last words?: My computer is sooooo slow…

Gotcha!

My whole “I want to be a star faze” – I’m completely over that. Disregard that blog. I was tired. I’d been up all night and the night before that.

Anyways…I just read an article in “The Globe and Mail” which basically said that the U.S. is in decline as a superpower and China is the next one. True. And how the U.S. has needed an enemy ever since the Soviet Union went kaput, so, it came up with terrorists. I don’t want to believe that, but after Hurricane Katrina, I don’t know what to believe with the U.S. Government anymore…

Riders. 5-6. 5 wins versus Hamilton and Winnipeg. Losses against Ottawa, B.C., Toronto, Calgary and Montreal. Not so good…

Today was Heather’s birthday. We out for supper tonight at the Watermark on Kitsilano Beach. The view from the restaurant was spectacular. And so were the prices…

I got my fall scene assignment today. The last half of Act III of Gounod’s “Faust”. I have a serious amount of music to learn in the next week. And a lot of French. And – I think I have to kiss somebody in this scene. I’m not impressed…

I don’t have anything to do tomorrow. Except go to school and practice. I can’t wait to start teaching again next week…

For my birthday, we’re going karaokeeing. The gals are already picking their songs. 😉 Plus, the Riders are in town that weekend. Woo hoo…

Hockey starts oh so soon. About freaking time. My Leafs are going to suck…

I love Vancouver.

I Heart Something…

I’m back in Vancouver again. I was quite excited to get back here, but now that I’m here I want to leave. I’m homesick. What gives? Am I actually going to be able to move away from home for good one day?

Maybe that’s why I’m homesick. This past summer may well have been my last one at home. I may finally have to grow up. Finally pick something and do it. Another existential crisis…

I’m one of those people who doesn’t care about the journey. Just get me to the destination – as fast as possible, please. I think in some weird way that I’m scared of success. I’m not sure why. I just am.

I’m trying to figure out where I want to go next in music. I’ve finally realized that my disgust for “Canadian Idol” comes not just from my problem with the concept, but from being jealous of those kids. They’re up there, singing to mass audiences of people. And I’m here, singing opera to 30 people a show.

At this point, my plan is to go to New York next year. To the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I think I’ve had it with opera. I’m going to work my tail off this year to give it one more shot. There are many things I love about it, and many things that bother me. Mostly, though, I find it hard to express myself in another language. I can know the meaning of a phrase backwards and forwards, but unless you’re a native speaker, it’s really hard to get the underlying meaning across.

So, why did I come back here if I really don’t like opera anymore? Let me rephrase: I like opera, but I don’t think it’s the thing I really want to do. I need to continue to work on my voice. Acting. Staging. All of those things can be constantly worked over and over again. Plus, you never know what doors may open…

I’m just getting restless. Lots of people I know have graduated, have jobs and have finally grown up. I want to, too. I’ve got to quit spinning my wheels.