News from my world.

Well, my last post was about the fact that I got a "real job". Now I am 2 months into it so it must be time for an update. The job has evolved, I started out working on a couple of small projects and a big one which involves coordinating 2 weeks of francophone celebrations in March. I am still working on this but also took on a position as coordinator for two different community groups,"Actions Femmes and la Fédération des parents de l'Î.-P.-É.". It is getting busier everyday, especially as I begin to better understand my tasks. Tomorrow I go to Halifax for a conference and, in a week, France for meetings! Pretty exciting stuff.

So, enough about work, blah, blah, blah. Music? Well, not so much unfortunately. I decided to put the cello aside for a bit. Still fiddling around here but far less than usual. So far, I am OK with this. Trying to make a living playing music and living in PEI seems like an impossible dream for me. It is a little weird not to be investing so much time into music but nice to be getting a regular paycheck. So, what do I do in my spare time?? I got an iPad for Christmas. If you have one, I don't need to explain. If you don't, you should get one!!! What are you waiting for?? GO!!!!

How about some app talk? First of all, I LOVE the way a lot of apps sync via iCloud between my iPhone, Mac and iPad. Photos, calendars, contacts, all there, all the time. Would you like to

hear about some of my favorite apps? If you keep reading I'll take that as a yes. Zite (free), merci Diane Ouellette for introducing me to this app. It kind of works like Stumbleupon except it is in a news magazine format. You choose topics that interest you and it serves them up by topic. It is updated often and has some great articles.

I did some research for finding an alarm clock app that suited my needs. I read a lot of reviews and tested a few before I settled on Lifelike Clock ($2.99 for iPad). I got the iPad dock and set the iPad up on my nightstand. This clock app is the only one I have found that actually dims enough on the iPad so it stays dark in the room.

Sooo, enough news for today. I'll tell you about some more apps that I like soon. Feel free to tell me about iPhone or iPad apps that you like! Bye for now...

New job - Real job

Hello!

OK, here are some updates! I was just about to say that I tried the poll on my website (anastasiadesroches.org) to see what sort of content people would like to see, and, due to lack of response I was removing it. By lack of response I mean no one gave feedback, not one single person! Then I thought I should go check before posting and guess what?? 1 person responded! Hahaha. It is not as much feedback as I would like but if you are that one person, thank you! It is a start. I'll leave it up for a bit longer. Go vote people!

So the title of the post is “new job“. Perhaps should have started with that? I now have a real job, a day job. I am working for the Saint Thomas Aquinas society or the SSTA (French acronym). I work on a few different projects, coordinating events and such. The communications department has just launched a new website (ssta.org) and it is really well done, you should go see it! Also, I'll use my blog to shamelessly ask you to help us get our name out there. :)

You can follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaintThomasdAquin

or on Twitter: @commSSTA

Another of my current projects is the initiative to help make The Centre Goeland viable. This is a centre in my community that hosts all sorts of events with a focus on youth activities. They have a great facility. It is run by volunteers at the moment and I am part of a committee that is trying to find ways to raise awareness (and funds) for the centre. One way YOU can help is by simply signing up and voting daily at this Aviva contest page: http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11386 you register and sign up with your email address you don't need to sign in every time, just the initial registration. It will then save your info if you use the same computer.

Those are my ramblings for now. If you're looking to discover some new music (it is new to me, maybe not to you) I am listening to the song “Ring them bells“ by Sarah Jarosz.

Happy Sunday!

Anastasia

Hello blog, do you remember me?

... or, if you are reading this do you remember me? I wonder so often what to do about my blog that I spend way more time thinking about what topics to post than I ever spend actually working on a post. I think that part of the problem is that I have so many interests that are intertwined. When I start writing about one (or thinking about one) it leads to the next and I am overwhelmed by the different possibilities of things to write about!

So today I am just writing... whatever comes out on the page will be the post! I think I'll give a little life update. I have been doing some soul searching. It all started with a JOB! From January 2011 - June 2011 I had the opportunity to teach music in a school, from kindergarten to grade 12! It was a scary thing at first but I was really excited to try it and it ended up being a great experience for me. I am not a certified teacher and the opportunity presented itself because there were no certified teachers available. They have since filled the position so where does that leave me??

I am 38 years old. I have never had a full time, Monday to Friday, 9-5 kind of job until this. As you can imagine it was a whole different life for me. I tend to be a relatively organized person and that was a big plus for me during this time. Of course, one of the big benefits of having a “normal“ kind of job is getting a regular paycheque. For someone who has been self employed for many years this is an amazing, magical thing!! Every two weeks, someone magically puts money in your bank account!!!

You get the idea, I enjoyed the job and I actually enjoyed the routine of it all. I did however, sacrifice some of my personal goals. I was ready to record a CD when this all happened. I was very much into writing music. Teaching left no time for this so it went to the background for a while. I am finding it difficult to get back... or even to determine if I want it back. I thought maybe I was meant for the rat race. I applied on a couple of jobs, even had an interview but it didn't work out. I wasn't sure I wanted it to.

So, now, things are falling into place as they usually do. New possibilities, new contracts. Back to teaching some lessons next week, trying to make my website (www.anastasiadesroches.org) more functional (check it out and vote if you have time), a trip to British Columbia in three weeks to find some inspiration, an invitation from the department of education to work on the music curriculum and, Workshops and a house concert in Fredericton on November 19th.

So, there is my update. I think I am on the right track... I'll try to let you know, if I can get over myself enough to just write another post soon! Thanks for reading!

Anastasia

Happy New Year!

Here we are, 2011. I am thinking about New Year resolutions. I rarely make real resolutions. Do you? What kind of resolutions do you make? I am curious as to how seriously people take their resolutions. Saying you are going to eat better or exercise more seems to have become a bit of a joke. People don't seem to follow through. Have you ever kept a resolution for a whole year?

New Years Eve for me was full of my favorite things; family, food and card playing! I love playing cards and learned a new game called “la poule“ which involved standing on your chair and making chicken noises when you had the right combination of cards. More cards were played on January 1st. A good start to the year.

I got spoiled for Christmas. I just finished trying out my new Donkey Kong game for the Wii. The save points seem a bit far apart for my liking but it is fun so far. I have been wanting to try Apple TV for a long time and got it for Christmas. We were in Québec until last night so I had to wait to try it. I find the picture quality great but the wait to load Netflix content long. I suppose this is because it is impossible to get high speed internet with any real speed where I live.

As for the pictures, the first one is the view out my front window at the moment. It surprises me that on January 3rd there is still no ice on the Northumberland Strait. I like this. The view is not as interesting when it ices over. The second picture is one I took at Véro's mom's place in Pointe-aux-Outardes. We went for a walk and a neighbor had these figures in his yard. I really liked them and thought I'd share. Happy New Year to you all!

Sooooo, I finally have time for an update! I am taking the morning off today! I think things will finally be slowing down just a little. I have had many projects on the go and some of them are in the wrap-up stage.

This week I worked on a recording project with the students at École-sur-mer in Summerside. They made a Christmas CD to raise funds to buy instruments for the school! It was an exciting project for the kids and lots of people contributed time and goods to make it all happen. All the profits will go right back to the students.

A major project for me has been the editing of a book of original Acadian fiddle tunes due for release very soon! It is almost ready to go to the publishing stage!! It features 34 different Acadian composers from PEI and includes 148 new fiddle tunes. Each composer has their own section with a biography, photo and stories about the inspiration for each of their tunes. You will see an example in the photos attached here. I am really excited for this project and I hope it will be a useful tool in the promotion of our Acadian culture and music.

Of course, I am also still working on the recording of my own CD. Troy MacGillivray has agreed to do the recording and production which is a thrill for me! He is one of my favorite players and I have enormous respect for his production abilities. I was attempting to get the recording done this fall but as often seems the case, these things take longer than expected. It is still in the works and I plan to keep posting some of the potential material on my website (www.anastasiadesroches.org).

I am getting excited for Christmas! How about you?? I love the snow in December (not so much from January on) and every time there are a few flakes it puts me in the Christmas mood. I have been listening to Christmas music for about a month now. Anne Murray's album is one of my favorites because she sings the songs the way I remember them. I am not so much of a fan of modern arrangements of traditional songs. The Barra Macneils' Christmas albums are always in the rotation and I just bought the new Ode à l'acadie album. My Christmas shopping is almost done and I'm working on my wish list, hehe.

That's about it for today I guess!

Worth a listen

I haven't updated in awhile. I will update about music and goings on in my life soon but in the meantime, I thought you might like to give this a read and listen. I have been thinking so much about the stories in the news about young gay people committing suicide because they are being bullied and because society doesn't accept them for who they are. There are so many important issues in the world today, why do we waste time arguing about things like whether or not gay marriage should be legal?

As a gay person in my thirties, most of the struggles that young people face today are long gone for me. Not to say that life is easy and not to say that I don't remember what these young people are going through. Thankfully, now it is mostly a question of uncomfortable moments when people make gay jokes or ask me if I am married yet. There are also moments when insurance companies don't want same sex partners to sign claim forms and having to tell random people that your partner is a “she“ when dealing with things that most people take for granted.

I am not complaining. I have a wonderful partner, supportive family and friends. It is still something I think about everyday and hope that young people have the strength to hang in there when they go through trying times. If you can take the time, it is worth watching the video at this link.

http://www.noordinaryrollercoaster.com/it-gets-better/

Here is a quote from the beginning of the article:

It Gets Better

I hate to say it but I spent a lot more of this past weekend crying than I care to admit. I have been choking on my words while I try to say what needs to be said – and it does need to be said.

For all the amazing accomplishments that we’ve made as a society, for all the civil rights movements that have won equality for minority groups around the world, and for all the wonderful support and opportunity that I have experienced as a gay man, we as a whole are in trouble. Thirteen-year-old kids are killing themselves after being tortured for being, seeming, or acting gay. These kids are suffering in ways that most of us can’t even understand to the point where they are throwing away the rest of their lives before they’re even old enough to know what the rest of their lives can look like.

What have I been up to lately?

Well, since you asked... Fun with the family and lots of company. When we were kids, our favorite place to go in the summer was Rainbow Valley. For those who have never been, it was a huge park with water slides and so many fun things to do! I loved going there even when I was older but I'd try to bring a kid so I didn't look so silly. :-) Well, the park is no more, at least in its former glory. It is now part of the Cavendish Beach area of the National Park. There are beautiful walking trails and the trails lead right to the main beach at Cavendish. Little did we know, when we used to go there, that we were so close. There was no trail before. The photo included shows my sister, her four kids and I at the park.

Company, yay! I love having company. I enjoy entertaining and feeding people. Also, when company comes to visit from off Island, I get to visit all the neat little places that I don't think of visiting otherwise. Our good friend Carl came to visit from Caraquet, well, from Vienna via Caraquet. When he is here you can be sure of three things, music, food and craziness! The other two pictures should give you a good idea of how things went!

Work is keeping me busy. Brent, Mylène and I are playing at the Ceilidh Hall in Poole's Corner tomorrow night and I am working full tear on preparations for recording a CD this fall. Lots of new tunes!!