Anastasia's Blog

News from my world.

2012-01-21T20:56:00.006-04:00

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

2011-11-20T12:18:00.003-04:00

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?

2011-09-30T08:10:00.002-03:00

... 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!

2011-01-03T15:52:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-12-02T11:24:00.003-04:00

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

2010-10-04T20:25:00.002-03:00

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?

2010-09-08T19:43:00.003-03:00

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!!

Vacation?

2010-08-25T08:57:00.002-03:00

I need a vacation from my vacation. Last week we went to visit Véro's family in the Saguenay region of Québec. The weather was nice and we got to go for lots of boat rides! Véro's cousin rented a cottage and we hung out there and ate and went for boat rides and ate and shopped and ate and... well, you get the picture!

There are three dogs in the family and when they get together, look out! One of the dogs is a chihuahua the other a Bernese mountain dog and the third is a 6 month old that fits somewhere in between. When they all get together they have a hard time getting along. Throw a few kids in the mix and you have a real party!

As always, we had a great time. The twelve hour drive home is a bit long and I need some time to catch up on my sleep!

We now have a friend visiting from Caraquet and I can safely promise some interesting pictures for my next blog update. We have been doing some touristy things around PEI.

On the road again... for vacation this time!

2010-08-18T08:15:00.004-03:00

I am in the Saguenay region of Quebec visiting with Véro's family. We just got here yesterday so I will tell you all about this trip in my next post. Last week we had a few days off from Gadelle gigs before finishing up our last shows of the summer. It was “la fête des acadiens“ on the 15th of August so the shows we did were celebrating this Acadian holiday. These were my last gigs with the band and I have let them know that I won't be returning in the spring. One of the band members, Caroline, is pregnant and due to this the band was on hiatus this fall anyhow.

I have many projects on the horizon and I will keep you updated as they become more clear. One of my main focuses will be recording a CD this fall. It has been 10 years since my last one so I think it is time. I have a lot of my own original material I want to record and for the entire CD I want to include only tunes composed by people I know or have met. This will be a bit of a challenge but I think it will make for an interesting project.

On one of my days off last week Véro and I went to see the play “V'nez Chou Nous“ in Deblois. One of my former students was in the show and the playwright, Raymond Arsenault, is a good friend of mine. I had a grand time! The show was wonderful, everyone played their roles to a tee! They also serve some traditional Acadian food, a bowl of fricot, a piece of râpure and dessert for $5!!! Can't beat that! The first picture shows my former student Robyn on the far right.

Our best friends here at home are all the members of the Ouellette family. It was Vallier's birthday yesterday and we had a celebration for him last weekend. PEI mussels, homemade pizza and a yummy cake! I find the cake looks like a giant cupcake! It was nice to have everyone there for the party! I will name everyone in the picture for you since I often mention them in my blog. Sitting at the table from left to right: Diane, Véro, Mylène, Brent, Geneviève, Jerry and the celebrated birthday boy, Vallier.

Maritime tour

2010-08-08T09:40:00.003-03:00

Well, we head home after the show tonight! I am excited about that! I have not updated at all since the start of the tour I have to think back a bit not to miss anything! Miramichi Folk Song Festival was our first stop. Before our show I had a nice surprise! Melanie Ross Breen, a friend who I had not seen in ages came to say hello! She has a beautiful voice and if you ever get the chance to hear this girl sing it is well worth it!

Our next stop was St. Andrews. We did two shows in the theatre there. Such a cute little town. I love all the little shops. I stayed in Saint John and got to meet up with Kim Matheson, a fiddling friend. She took me to a Thai restaurant, Thandi, for lunch. I ate way too much and it was yummy! These trips seem to be all about food! Check out the picture of the dessert!! That was from a restaurant in Halifax called da Maurizio. Véro came to meet me for this last bit of the trip and da Maurizio has been on our list of restaurants we have been wanting to try. We drive to Lunenburg for the shows but stay in Halifax.

The picture of downtown Halifax from the water was taken while we did a trip aboard the Harbour Hopper. You know, that green and blue car/boat that tours the city on land and in water. We felt like silly cheesy tourists taking this but it ended up being pretty fun. We were on board at the same time as a youth soccer team from St. Johns NFLD. They kept us in stitches for the entire tour.

We head back to Lunenburg this afternoon for the last show. The crowd in Lunenburg sure is something! We played on the main stage Thursday night, the place was packed! As soon as we would finish a number the crowd erupted with applause and cheers. I have never experienced anything quite like that. The last photo is taken from the golf course across the harbour from the town. I liked the view from that vantage point.

So this is the last tour with Gadelle. Caroline is pregnant and she is getting some well deserved time off. I have some other musical plans on the horizon, calls seem to be coming in these days. I like that and look forward to playing with Mylène and Brent. I plan to record a CD this fall and I am looking forward to having some time to get to work on that project. I will start up with lessons again in October. I will keep updating the blog even though the updates may be a little less exotic!

My new favourite color is blue!

2010-08-01T09:29:00.004-03:00

We leave again for a short maritime tour tomorrow morning. I've had a great week at home and managed to cram quite a lot into one short week... well, 6 days to be exact.

Did I mention I love to eat?? Moroccan burgers on the bar-b-que! The picture does not convey how delicious these are! Véro did most of the cooking on this one. It is the sauce that makes the meal. Did I mention I love sauce? Lots of fresh cilantro from the garden, yummy! When I get home from a trip it is great to have fresh home cooked food. Eating in restaurants is fun at first but it gets old pretty quickly. We watched the film “Julie and Julia“ the other night and while I found the movie just so so, it made me want to cook... and EAT!

You know you have the best friends when they are willing to spend their whole day off (a sunny Saturday on top of it all) inside painting your room. One of our very good friends, Geneviève, is an interior designer (one of her many talents) and she helped us rethink our master bedroom. It was in sad need of an update. It is not finished yet (yes, that is a towel over the window) but we have the biggest part of the work done! 3 coats of paint in one day!! I love the new color. I have always flip-flopped between red and blue as my favourite color but this new paint job makes me side with the blue! There are still lots of accessories and linens to buy but there is already such a big difference from what it was before. Geneviève's boyfriend Jerry was here all day as well, installing a chair rail and moulding. We owe a lot to these two! They are coming back this morning to finish up. I am spoiled!!!

For those who don't know me so well, my sister has 4 kids that I love to spend time with! The older boys aren't always around so it is a special treat when I get to see them. My 2 nieces, Grace and Cate make me feel so special when I get to see them. I never doubt that they have missed me too! My sister Joanna, son Sam, Grace and Cate came for a visit on a very windy day last week. We walked down to the beach and were treated to a marvellous show of waves crashing. Mont Carmel isn't exactly surfers paradise so I get excited when I see waves here! There was hardly any sand where we usually sit on the beach because the tide was so high! Impressive sight! The two little girls in the picture are my nieces.

Off on a trip tomorrow morning, Miramichi, Saint Andrews and Lunenburg. I'll keep you updated!

Salt Spring and Mission Folk Festival

2010-07-28T11:21:00.003-03:00

Well, home again! Confession time. I was not looking forward to the fiddle camp on Salt Spring Island. It turned out to be the most inspirational experience I've had in a long time. I don't even know where to start! The students!!! Motivated kids who wanted to play the fiddle, who continued to play through their breaks after class was over! So many of them touched my heart and I will mention a few here. Clara, Joseph and Una - from BC, Arizona and Ontario - they had never met yet formed an instant musical bond when they played together. I was so fortunate to have been a small part of that. Now the difficult part for them, going home and searching for that kind of connection with other musicians. Once you have experienced that you constantly search to make it all happen again.

The families; I met so many parents encouraging their children to play music, showing them that it is important to have passions like this in life. Whole families playing music together and parents doing everything they can to bolster their children's self confidence. It was so wonderful.

The best part of the trip for me was meeting these other fiddle teachers. Shamma, Trish and Zav(fiddle camp organizer). I was amazed at their abilities, not only are they all great players but they are great teachers. The rapport they had with the students was so special and the techniques they used, so simple yet effective. I made three new friends that I hope to keep in touch with regularly. Such interesting lives, different than my own but the paths do cross and I think we will meet again.

We ended the trip at the Mission Folk Festival, we played the mainstage as the second last act between Murray McLaughlan and Ian Tyson. Quite a spot to have. Shamma Sabir (fiddle camp teacher, great musician from Abbotsford next to Mission) also played in the show so we got to see her again! What a treat. She even came to see us off at the airport the next morning. When the trip started I couldn't wait to get home again but saying good bye to Shamma at the airport, I wished we could have stayed longer.

I guess this post is getting pretty long so, the pictures!

1. Shamma and Trish leading the fiddle orchestra (yes, that is Bill Henderson, lead singer of Chilliwack in the left hand corner).

2. Me and 2 of the camp students, little sweethearts Lauren and Nia.

3. Fiddle camp instructors, me, Shamma, Zav, Caroline, Trish, Grady, Helen and Louise.

The home stretch

2010-07-21T12:02:00.004-03:00

We are now on Salt Spring Island, another beautiful part of British Columbia. I never thought I would see all these wonderful places. It is amazing! All the members of the band are teaching at fiddle camp and it is lots of fun. Very motivated students!! Caroline and I are being hosted by Ted, a local and we are staying in the most beautiful home I have ever seen!! We also had the chance to see some of my family here on Salt Spring. My Mom's cousins live here as do some of their children. Last night, they fed us a supper of Pacific salmon an the bar-b-que, salad from their garden, homemade bread and homemade ice cream from the neighbors, organic potatoes and asparagus. It was soooo yummy! Merci Louise, Doug et famille.

The pictures I am adding today go back to last weekend and the Vancouver part of the trip.

1. Jericho beach, the site of the Vancouver Folk Festival. The festival happens in the park that is part of this beach.

2. The broom making lady on Granville Island. We thought this was pretty cool and it made us think of our friend Diane who likes anything to do with witches and Halloween. (Diane we would have brought one home for you if we didn't have to fly!)

3. Just an evening picture in downtown Vancouver off Robson Street.

Kelowna, Golden and Kamloops!

2010-07-17T02:30:00.003-03:00

Still having fun and having a hard time to believe the grandeur that is British Columbia! We have seen so much of the province in the last few days. In the Okanagan Valley we visited a winery called Mission Hill. There are many wineries in this area and we were told this was a must see. We weren't disappointed. In Kelowna, Véro and I treated ourselves to a treat! A night at the Delta Grand Okanagan! It was a rare night off for the band and we took advantage. Have a look at the last picture, this was the view from our deck!

Our travels are constantly taking us on new trails. We drove through Revelstoke and Glacier National Park. The snow peaked mountains amaze me every time we turn a corner. We played a show in Golden, BC. We were close to the Alberta border there and were even on Alberta time for a day. From the stage I asked the kids to pose for a picture with the dancing bear. They willingly obliged! (see photo) The Kicking Horse Resort is in Golden and the picture included is a view of the ski slopes in the summer weather.

We made it to Kamloops where we played outside in Riverside Park. We got to visit with my good friends Jeff and Carma! A highlight of the trip for sure. Tonight is our first of two nights in Vancouver, we opened the Vancouver Folk Festival tonight, we were the first act on the main stage. It was quite a rush! I'll post some Vancouver pictures next!

Snow in July?

2010-07-13T11:22:00.003-03:00

Harrison Hot Springs is a beautiful place. I felt like I was there on vacation and not really working! The view is beautiful with the snowy mountains visible on two sides. There were all kinds of boaters on the water and the stage was right on the beach! We got to spend some time with our friends from PEI who were honeymooning in Harrison. They had rented a Mustang for the week so we travelled in style for a couple of days! This came in handy because our rental car (Kia) had the check engine light on by the second day! We had to return to Chilliwack before heading Kelowna so we could swap cars. They gave us an upgrade for our troubles and we now have a red Dodge Avenger. Much nicer ride I must say!!

The first two photos were taken while in the Harrison area, first on the beach and second at Bridal Veil Falls. We went for a little hike in the woods at the provincial park to find these falls. Quite impressive, 6th highest falls in Canada.

Then it was time to head for Kelowna. Just past Merritt on the Coquihalla highway we ran into some ... weather. It snowed! In July!! It was quite stormy for a little spell. The outdoor temperature gage in the car said zero degrees! There were warning signs for trucks to use chains and that winter road conditions were possible but we did not think it was for this time of year! After we got rid of the snow we started to see smoke that we thought might be from a forest fire and sure enough as we got close to West Kelowna there was a serious fire burning in a semi-urban area. There were helicopters, emergency vehicles and road closures. We got through just before they closed the road we had been on. Thankfully we don't have to go back that way and I think they are now in better control of the fire.

Kelowna is a beautiful place and I will upload some pictures of our time here soon!

Mountains!

2010-07-09T21:55:00.003-03:00

Made it to BC. This is one of the longest days of my life. I am trying to stay awake until at least 9pm local time so I can get used to the time zone. We left home at 4:30 this morning and on PEI it would now be 10pm. 5 airports, 5 provinces, 4 flight changes. On the upside, Harrison Hot Springs is a beautiful place! I won't talk too much about Harrison yet because we spend the next 2 days here and I will tell you more about it once I've had the chance to explore!

We are looking forward to seeing lots of friends and relatives on this trip!

The Regina photo is here because Saskatchewan is the one province I have never been to... until today. I guess it doesn't count, we never even got out of the plane!! The other two photos were taken as we flew over the Rockies and got closer to our destination airport: Abbotsford.

The big wedding and the next trip.

2010-07-08T17:53:00.003-03:00

Last weekend, my closest friends Mylène and Brent got married. I always thought they made a great couple and they are perfect for each other. They are also the two who most often accompany me when I play apart from the Gadelle band stuff. The wedding was beautiful from start to finish! We had a beautiful day and no mishaps!! The reception was at the Centre Belle-Alliance where you can count on outstanding food from the caterer Patsy Richard and stunning decor from the centre's director Béatrice Caillé.

Check out the red car! That was my ride from the church! Thanks to Brent's brother Mitchell who was the perfect gentleman and chauffeur.

The boys in the wedding party all wore the black high tops. A fun twist on the formal side of things.

Ahhh the happy couple on the waterfront in Summerside. I stole the last two pics from Mylène's Mom Diane on Facebook. Hope she doesn't mind!

Now off to pack, tomorrow morning the band leaves on the 7am flight to British Columbia for a long tour. I'll update as often as possible to let you know all about it!

Canada Day eh?

2010-07-02T09:53:00.003-03:00

Exciting Canada Day for me! We (Gadelle) played in Moncton for a big outdoor show on Main Street. It threatened rain but held off while we played. There was a great crowd and we had fun playing. The best part was that we played right before Natalie MacMaster who I adore!! We got to chat with she and her husband Donnell. It was fun to see Mac Morin again (we ran into him at Small Halls on PEI) who is a fantastic Cape breton style piano player. He plays with everyone from Beolach to Troy MacGillivray and of course Natalie. We left before the show was over to avoid the traffic and not get home too late but Natalie was putting on a great show! She played lots of tunes from older albums, the opening set was almost straight off the “Four on the Floor“ cassette recording!

Now for the pictures of our adventure. I love this picture of Natalie and the other Gadelle girls. She poked her head inside our trailer to say hello and with our bunch there are always a few laughs!

We had our own trailer!!! It was pretty exciting. There was all kinds of food and drinks and it was directly behind the stage. Natalie and her crew had the one next to ours.

We had the 15 passenger van that we used on the US tour and my friend Pete Later came along for the ride. In order to access the backstage area you needed to have a wristband and we weren't sure if we could get him one. Thankfully it worked out and he was able to hang out with us backstage. Here is a picture of him inside our trailer.

Home sweet home!

2010-07-01T10:06:00.004-03:00

Ahhhh, home. The US tour was a bit long but it was fun to see new places. The wrap up destination was Albany, New York or more specifically, Altamont. We were participating in the Old Songs Festival. It was hot and humid but when the sun was shinning it was nice to feel the summer weather. The drive home was long so we decided to stop in Waterville, Maine for a night on the way back. The border crossing returning to Canada is a lot less complicated than entering the US! No fingerprints or photos this time.

We played home on the Island last night in Tignish and in a few hours we head to Moncton to play tonight. Then time off from the band, my good friend's Mylène and Brent are getting married this weekend!! I am so happy for them! I am in the wedding party so a few busy days coming up.

I still haven't figured out how to upload pictures in the order I want them to appear so if they seem out of sync with my timeline, that is why!

First, my home sweet home. View from my front deck. Why would I ever want to leave?

Then, the day after I arrived home my Mom, my nieces and I went to the park and also had some Cows Ice cream, yummmm, my favorite. (Even better than the Ben and Jerry's I had in New York!)

The last picture is just a silly note from the wall of the “mess hall“ type place where we ate at the festival in New York.

Vacation day!

2010-06-25T23:04:00.004-03:00

Well, we actually had a day off today... mind you we had to drive from Maine to New York! Véro and I took full advantage of this! We stopped in Old Orchard beach because it was a beautiful, HOT, sunny day. Then we went to the outlet store in Kittery and did a bit of shopping. I am so tired now but we had a great day and some great food! Hectic schedule from tomorrow morning on. We play at the Old Songs Festival near Albany, New York. Each day we have several performances (workshops and shows) and we start early tomorrow morning! I am off to bed but I couldn't resist adding four photos today.

Caroline, Louise, myself and Véro having a fun supper next door to our hotel in Albany, NY. Note for my sister Joanna... I just had the best seafood alfredo ever and totally wish you were here!

A picture taken from the pier at Old Orchard Beach.

One of our sound tech guys, Andy caught this giant toad outside the Skye Theatre where we were staying. (He and Véro also chased a mouse out of our apartment... and Caroline's room.

Gadelle on stage at the Skye Theatre.

Skye Theatre

2010-06-23T09:08:00.004-03:00

We are at the Skye Theatre in South Carthage, Maine! It is nice to be here because this is our home base for four days. This means that we don't have to drag our suitcases to a new place every night! We arrived here on Monday and have been driving to the gigs from here but tonight, we play HERE! We just have to go downstairs for the show. I hear the sound is a treat in the theatre and we have 2 fun sound guys, Arthur and Andy, who are following us around for four shows. This part of the tour was set up by Phil McIntire, our kind host here at the Skye.

We have internet here but the bandwith is limited. I hope my photo uploads (the photos may be smaller than usual) don't get me into trouble! :-) We have been doing a lot of driving and there is a fair bit of construction on the roads. This is not so fun in a 15 passenger van! The gigs that we have been doing were all over an hour away from where we are staying. Friday we drive to Albany, New York. It is about an 8 hour drive.

Pictures, pictures...

The first, Outside the Franco-American Heritage Centre where we played last night in Lewiston, Maine.

Second, we spent a little time in the cute downtown of Farmington, Maine yesterday. Nice little shops and we met Morton the moose! A stranger saw us being silly and taking photos and asked if we wanted him to take one of the four of us.

And third, I did some laundry in the sink in my room and went outside to hang some clothes on the balcony. I noticed a lot of bird activity and when I looked up in the eaves just above my head there was a nest with four baby birds! Mom, I'll take a picture of the Mama bird and you'll have to help me identify it. I don't know what kind of birds they are.

June tour #2

2010-06-21T09:38:00.003-03:00

Original title, I know! We are in Ellsworth Maine this morning and playing in New Hampshire tonight. We have wireless internet here today but who knows for later so I thought I would update again.

We had a fun show last night, we played half a show then played for a contra-dance. There was a real caller and the dancers danced 4 or 5 dances even in the heat! We did a 5 hour drive yesterday to get to the gig and today we have about 4 hours driving total including finding the place where we will stay for the next 4 days. Yay, less suitcase hauling for a few nights! It is a 10 day tour so the suitcase is pretty full!! I hear the next place where we will stay is really nice, we are being hosted by Phil McIntyre at the Skye Theatre and there is an apartment above the theatre where we will stay. I have heard about the place from lots of friends who have stayed (and played) there in the past.

The first photo is of Steve's house where we stayed last night. He is a rocker dude with all kinds of rock and roll paraphernalia in the house! He is cooking us breakfast right now!

We are in bible country it seems as you can see by the sign on the picture of Steve's neighbour's house.

And lastly Helen relaxing in the yard, lots of green!!

Have a great day everyone, Anna.

June tour

2010-06-19T18:24:00.004-03:00

Well, I don't know how vigilante I will be. It might depend on the internet connection but I will try to update on this tour. I am on tour with the band Gadelle who I am playing with for the summer. We are playing in Lille, Maine tonight and we have the most wonderful host Don Cyr who just put out a fabulous spread for us for supper!

The border crossing was ...interesting. We were fingerprinted and photographed! The drive in the van to get here was about 7 hours. I kept myself busy by listening to my current audio book “The Book Thief“ Excellent book!

We play tonight in a big beautiful church restored by Don, our host. It is called Notre Dame de Mont-Carmel, ironic since the church next to my house in PEI has the same name! I will stop here and add a few pictures to my post. We play in an hour and I need to get ready! I'll try to wtite again soon.

Picture 1, Helen and Caroline relaxing on the step at Don's Place.

Picture 2, the Gadelle-mobile.

Picture 3, the church where we play tonight.

Victoria

2009-10-07T01:50:00.004-03:00

Wow, I have seen so many beautiful places over the last few days that it is hard to put this into words. We have been so lucky to know people in the places we have visited. Here in Victoria Véro's friends, Kim and Heather, gave us the royal treatment. We had some fabulous meals and we visited some great parks and lookout spots. I'll try to remember some names without looking back at photos: Craigdarroch Castle, Mount Douglas Park and Brentwood Bay (for some drinks). That was yesterday. Today we walked around the city all day, explored some of the places we missed yesterday.I thought this guy made of pizza pans was pretty cute so I included a picture of him too.

We visited a great Chinese tea shop and had supper in Chinatown too (Canada's oldest Chinatown). We visited Fisherman's Wharf and saw some really neat "houseboats". There were three seals in the harbour that were being hand fed salmon while we took pictures. We had a lovely evening walk downtown and saw the legislature building all lit up with white lights. Quite stunning at night as well as in the day.

Tomorrow we head to Kamloops! Watch out Jeff and Carma, here we come!!

Beautiful British Columbia

2009-10-03T12:24:00.003-03:00

It is a sunny Saturday morning and I am taking the time to write my first post from BC. It has been a whirlwind of shopping and tourist attractions thus far. The trip here was long but, thanks to technology, not too boring. I played the sims on my laptop, listened to an audiobook on my ipod and took advantage of the TV screen on the seat in front of me.

On our first day, Vero had some free time and we went to explore Gastown. We took the Skytrain to get downtown from our Richmond hotel. The Skytrain is easy to use and very efficient. We are here at the right time because the "Canada Line" from Richmond opened less than a month ago! Gastown is full of tiny shops mostly overflowing with Olympic merchandise. There were some neat trendy stores as well that reminded us of our friend Geneviève who is an interior designer. (You can see her blog here: http://genevieve-interiordesign.blogspot.com/)

From that point on Vero was pretty busy and I was on my own. I have family on both my mother's and father's side here in the city so I spent some time with them yesterday and the day before. Thursday night my cousin Heather and my uncle Don took me to a restaurant they frequent called "Sala Thai" They knew the menu and ordered some dishes for us to share. It was delicious and it was so wonderful to catch up with family I had not seen in years. Good beer, food and of course great conversation. It was a perfect night!

Yesterday I met up with aunt Trudy, aunt Andrea and cousin Andrew. I took the Skytrain to the Waterfront station where they picked me up. We drove to Whistler and I was in awe of the beauty of this province! I didn't know what to expect at Whistler, I had never been to any of the major Canadian ski resort towns. So cute and better shopping than any mall anywhere near PEI! There was snow in the mountains and we could see the construction going on where the medal podiums will be. The drive there and back was breathtaking and Trudy was kind enough to stop and show us some scenic places and let me take some photos. We went for supper in Chinatown and had a great meal. Trudy and Andrea brought me back to my hotel and I dropped! I am so tired at night with the time change and all. We will have supper with them and lots more of the family next Friday. Looking forward to that too!!

Today will involve a bit of shopping at the Richmond centre this morning and a walk (and maybe a bit more shopping) on Robson street with Vero. I better get started on that now! I'll leave you with a little picture where you can see the grass from some of the ski runs at Whistler.

The fall season is near!

2009-09-03T08:29:00.003-03:00

I didn't want to call the post the end of summer though that is what it feels like. The summer shows are now over and I will miss that but now I get some much needed vacation time! This week hasn't felt much like that though, there are too many things going on! Last week of vacation before school starts for my niece and nephews so we are trying to cram lots in there! The picture of my niece Grace with my friend and piano accompanist Mylène was taken at a little bonfire in my back yard! The fish has his own story. He was part of the landscaping at the new house that Mylène and Brent bought last year. Grace got to name him and I think she settled on fishy. Typical 6 year old naming tactic I think. Mylène brought the fish to my house as a little joke for Grace. Grace was HAPPY!

We did a series of shows at the Confederation Centre this summer (we being Mylène Ouellette, Christina Gallant-MacLean, Julie Arsenault and myself. Our sound and light guy James Carrier was one of the best we've worked with, always helpful and most importantly always in a good mood! Here is a little photo taken at our last show.

I'll be back soon with some fall photos!

Little trip to Halifax.

2009-08-13T09:10:00.003-03:00

I rarely have time off in the summer so when I happened to have three days in a row it was time for a little trip! We spent one night in Halifax and then drove around the south shore of Nova Scotia. Vero and I both love Halifax and it was a beautiful day. I got to shop at my favorite store "The Freak Lunch Box". If you have never been, it is a candy store and they sell lots of candy that you don't see anywhere else. The old fashioned candy like the pouches of bubble gum and real jawbreakers that last forever. I love the Jelly Belly jelly beans too!

Halifax is such a beautiful city that you can discover just by walking around. We walked along the harbour walkway (and saw Theodore Tugboat) then uptown for a bit. We discovered the Halifax Public Gardens. A lushious, tropical feeling park in the middle of town. The ducks were friendly in the park, you could walk right up to them! I am also throwing in a picture of the Keiths Brewery. It is house in a nice old buildong. We didn't do the tour this time but we have in the past! I'll add some pictures of the rest of the trip, the south shore part, in my next post.

Clack'Azingers Reunite!

2009-08-08T11:03:00.003-03:00

It was a wild time. Last Monday we had a reunion of sorts. We got out all the old photos, ate drank and laughed but best of all we had some good tunes, just like old times. For those who might not know, Clack'Azing was a group of young girls who played music together. The group started 10 or 11 years ago and most of the girls still play music now, some professionally. Stephanie even brought her vest that was part of one of the costumes that the girls wore. After supper, we sat out on my deck and got out the fiddles and played some tunes. here are a few pictures of the night.

2009-08-05T09:33:00.005-03:00

When we were little we used to hang out at what we called Clark's Pond. It now has an official name, Marchbank's Pond. I don't know if Clark's was really the name before or where it came from. We played and fished there in the summer, caught smelts swimming up the little waterfall and skated there in the winter. Here are a few pictures I took last Sunday. When I got home from the pond I noticed this tall ship passing in front of my house! I think it is the Pride of Baltimore 2. I stopped in the driveway and took a picture. It is quite a sight to see one of these ships going by.

In the garden.

2009-08-01T13:04:00.004-03:00

It has been a tough year for the garden so far. I must admit, Vero does most of the garden work. We planted tons of things and most of it didn't grow! So, we re-planted. Things are looking up now. Carrots are starting to come in nicely and here are some pictures of my pepper plants and cherry tomatoes. The flower beds seem to grow like crazy at this time of year. I always think the bed looks empty when I plant and I know that in a couple of weeks there won't be room enough for everything!

Thought you might like to see a little picture from our dinner theatre as well. Christina and Julie all dressed and ready to go! If you want more info about the show check out my website at www.anastasiadesroches.com. I have show dates, times and venues listed on there.

Random Tuesday night drive

2009-07-29T10:06:00.003-03:00

What to do on a beautiful evening? Go for a drive of course! We had no planned route, Vero wanted to drive on the Port Hill Station road, that was the only determined part of the drive. As we neared the Egmont Bay church, I decided to take a few pictures. The church is falling apart, it is a sad sight. The photo of the lobster traps comes from Higgins Wharf. The south side lobster season is starting soon! Yum, can't wait.

July 27th Fiddles

2009-07-27T11:48:00.004-03:00

The day after...
Two great fiddle weekends in a row! Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival last weekend. In true Rollo Bay style, the music was wonderful and you never know who might show up! This year we were treated to some tunes by Natalie MacMaster. I also met Kimberly Fraser for the first time though I had been a fan of her music. One of my favorite players Troy MacGillivray was also on the bill along with his sister Kendra and Andrea Beaton. Last Thursday I had the opportunity to have some tunes with Andrea at a house party, lost of fun! This past weekend it was closer to home with the Atlantic Fiddlers Jamboree. So many great players and dancers. We got to hear 88 year old Eddy Arsenault play. Here are a few pictures of the two weekends.

Animal Crossing Wii

2009-02-24T20:02:00.003-04:00

My new obsession... It is a silly, silly game and I can't get enough. I love all sorts of video games but generally, anything to do with Mario tops my list. On the PC, I adore the Sims games. As for the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy was everything I thought it would be, I loved it. I have never really managed to find other games series, or even games, that I liked as much.

Enter Animal Crossing, now I won't say that I like it as much as Mario Galaxy or anything, but what is it with this game? I can't stop playing!! I need to get all the fish for my museum, I need to get all the kinds of fruit, I want every bug and fossil!!! I am obsessed! Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this? I think I have all the kinds of fruit, I am making an attempt to grow all the trees anyway. I visited someone today (for the first time) and they had all the fruit! I got to take some of each to plant!! Cherries, pears, apples, peaches galore! I already had oranges and coconut.

If you want to visit me, my friend code is:
1762-8140-1244 My name is Anna and I live in Mootown. Leave me your info, we'll be new neighbors!

Haha, silly name I know, but I had to think fast and who would have thought I'd be obsessed enough to blab it all over the internet??

Don't knock it until you've tried it. It looks like a silly little game, but I can't stop....

My poor neglected blog...

2009-02-02T10:47:00.003-04:00

It is hard to decide what to write about in a blog. Well, it is for me anyway. I think of all kinds of crafty, creative things I could write about, but never get around to actually doing it. Since I don't update often, I think it is safe to assume that I don't have a regular readership for my blog. That being said, I can pretty much write what I want eh?
I tried doing this before and I really am going to try to have a little more stick-to-itness this time. Yes, I know, I say this every time...
I want to share some sites that I find cool and stuff that I like from around the internet. I find the sites through various sources like: Digg, Stumble and CBC radio's Spark, with Nora Young.
I found these two sites after listening to Spark. I was driving at the time and made myself voice notes with my blackberry so I could remember what they were when I got in front of my computer. I have a horrible memory for these kinds of things.

First: Grooveshark. It is a website where you can listen to almost any music you can think of in streaming audio. Just type in the name of the artist you are looking for(or the song) and you get a list to choose from. Very fun.

Next: Seatguru. If you are taking a trip by plane, you will love this site. You go to the site, find the plane you will be traveling on and it tells you all kinds of things about the plane and your seat in particular. It tells you if you have a power port, a TV, what kind of legroom you get and all kinds of interesting information.

Hope you enjoy checking out these websites.

The Potato Blog

2008-09-30T18:43:00.003-03:00

I am NOT a happy camper. I live in PEI, land of the potatoes. I own 3 acres of land, I live on one and the other 2 are used for hay by a farmer friend. I am bordered on 2 sides by fields owned by a neighbor, guess what was planted in those fields this year? Hmmmmm POTATOES.

The problem is not with the potatoes themselves of course, I like potatoes. There are 2 problems, the pesticides and the harvesting methods.

Problem number one: Pesticides.
There is supposed to be a buffer zone between public property and where a farmer would spray pesticides. The farmer who farms this ignores this rule, spraying ON my property. He turns the sprayer on as he turns around on my land because he did not leave a buffer space.

Problem number two: The harvest.
Today was the last straw for me. I watched as someone in a truck drove and parked on my property while they went to work on a tractor in the field. I went and left a note on the windshield that said: "for future reference, this is private property, if you would agree not to spray pesticides so close to my house, I wouldn't mind if you drove on it." Perfectly within my rights I think, after all I own the property! After that, I watched (and took pictures) as countless potato trucks, tractors and harvesters drove over my property time and time again. They drove over my survey pin many times, burying it, they drove over and "stole?" another marker I had at the other end of my property. Can't find it, gone.

At the end of the day, I noticed the owner of the farm, out there looking for something (my marker that they "lost") so I seized the opportunity and went to chat with him. I said "you made quite a mess of my property". I told him about the note I left on the truck. He said he knew and fed me a bunch of excuses of why he HAD to drive on my property. When I brought up the pesticides issue, he had excuses for that too and told me that the fact that our well water here on the Island is mostly contaminated with nitrates has nothing to do with farming. fertilizer or pesticides. He said it's all made up by the government.

I tried to end the conversation there, I told him I understood that it had been a rough year for farmers. I asked him just to reassure me that it would be different next year. He said it would. Then he told me there are just a few people who are CRANKY about this and that it's only the English people that complain about the pesticides!!!!! As much as saying if I was a GOOD Acadian that I would not be saying this. I walked away feeling kind of sorry for him and feeling like I did something wrong. Now I am just boiling mad!!!

My biggest concern from this is that there is a spot where the water runs down the field and creates a ditch on my property. When it rains, water runs down the field to this area. Part of the reason I am letting grass and hay grow is to help stop some of this run off. The trucks drove over and over this area today, making it deeper than ever and destroying the grass that was on it.

I am adding some pictures of the days activities. Feel free to comment, am I just cranky? Or do I have a right to say what goes on on MY property.

March Break?

2008-03-15T09:17:00.002-03:00

March Break, is that a joke? No March Break for me, work, work, work! That's good though I guess. I am working on this project that I adore. Collecting contemporary Acadian fiddle tunes. Today I am going to Moncton to meet with Megan Bourgeois. I can't wait to hear her tunes and of course to see Megan because she is a good friend! The fiddlecase website is kind of on hold, but if you are reading this and need a tune transcribed, try me!

I am loving the http://www.stumbleupon.com/ website these days. What a fun way to waste time! And I am good at wasting time. I am also still trying to do updates for my own website, but that is a very slow process. I got a little bit of grant money to record a demo next month. I am looking forward to that. It helps to have such great musicians as Mylène Ouellete and Brent Chaisson to work with. I am going to try and get over myself and be brave enough to record a few of my own tunes. We'll see....

Guess I better update!

2007-09-18T10:40:00.000-03:00

I just read the site meter notice and I realized that people actually read my blog...so I guess it would only be fair to update! Lots of news on my end. I have a new job! Yay! Well, hahaha I'm not getting paid yet, but that is supposed to come...soon! I am working on a research project to collect, record and transcribe original fiddle tunes from contemporary Island Acadian composers. I, along with others (Big thanks to Tanya and Monic) have been trying to get this project going for a couple of years now. Finally I am starting! Today I am working on tunes from Marie Livingstone.

Also, it is my fall project to re-work my boring website, haha. I have been working on a totally new look with Microsoft Publisher. I am actually almost done, so expect a new look soon at www.anastasiadesroches.com

My other site, www.fiddlecase.com is also still on the go.

I will still be teaching fiddle lessons this fall, starting the first week of October and keeping up with a few bookings for gigs and workshops!

Send me a message or comment if you have thoughts about the new website or the new project I'm working on. I'll try to update more often...promise!

Easter Weekend

2007-04-10T07:50:00.000-03:00

I thought the snow was finished! We went to Halifax for the Easter weekend. We took my little Echo with all season tires and not the Matrix with four wheel drive and winter tires because it's supposed to be spring now! Wellllll, big mistake. The biggest snowstorm of the winter hits. Crappy drive home from Halifax, but the worst part was when we got to PEI. After almost getting stuck in a drift in a whiteout on the highway, not knowing which lane I was in or even if I was on on the road... We decided that we weren't going to make it home to Mont-Carmel. We aimed for my mom's and dad's place in Wilmot Valley. The Blueshank was fine, but on their road, 2 houses before their house, I got stuck in a drift so big I could hardly open my door. Luckily, the neighbor across the road works for John Deere and he got me out of there. He opened the road and I got my car into the driveway at my parents place. Pretty exciting.

We watched the game Saturday night at Boston Pizza, happy to see my leafs win, but short lived thanks to the Islanders. I'm posting a picture of the bridge before we left PEI (See, no snow) and a picture of the beginnings of the storm in Halifax, Nadine and Vero in front of the Halifax Public Gardens. All in all, a good trip.

What's New?

2007-04-03T12:53:00.000-03:00

I haven't posted in awhile, so I decided that it's time for some updates. I have been "youtubing" today. Lots of fun. I can't believe the stuff that's on there. Type in someone's name and voila! I am going to try to put some videos on there soon. Looks like fun.

I started a new website http://fiddlecase.com where I offer fiddle tune transcription services. How does it work? You send me a recording...or video of a tune, I write out the notes. This is a bit of a passion for me, It all started when I decided I want to transcribe all the tunes from my favorite albums and I realized that there are plenty of people who would love to have the notes for these tunes. So, I decided to start the website. So far, I have had a little interest and I have been introduced to some interesting music! My main challenge is to figure out how to get the word out. I did decide to do a bit of advertising on the fiddlefoum.com website. Anyone have ideas about where I should be spreading the word?

So, that's the rant of the day. Happy Tuesday.........

So it's been awhile...

2007-01-14T15:20:00.000-04:00

No links or pictures today, just a little update on my life. I da have intentions of posting more often, but I never seem to find the time! Well, I did a website update today, it's been awhile for that too. I am going to start selling my CD tracks on my website. I managed to figure out how to put a paypal button on my site, yay Anna!
The big news is that I quit my band, I am not a member of Chiquesa anymore. I am going to miss it very much, I guess it's just a timing thing. I am hoping to keep playing music with the girls on some other projects. So, I'm kind of sad about not being in the band anymore even though I know it was the right decision.
Uhhhh, what else, talk about the weather? Well, very strange for PEI, Jan 14th, hardly any snow, can see most of the grass and the strait is not frozen!!! Ok, enough rambling, tooddles

I TRIED to update my website...

2006-11-12T16:51:00.000-04:00

I was just trying (since it's been far too long) to update my website and I get this message " An error has occured. Management of websites is currently disabled until further notice as we resolve some remaining issues with this service." The Bravenet website, which hosts my webpage seems to have been revamped and I guess there are some issues. I hope it's back up soon.

I am just getting back from having spent a week in Ottawa! It was a really great time and I am happy that I got to spend time with my friends! I had a great time seeing friends! Here are a couple of pictures, Mylene, Robyn, Steff and I on our way out to supper and a picture of the Rideau Canal, in between the parliament buildings and the Chateau Laurier Hotel.

Last Friday, in Wakefield, we got to go see a Cape Breton live show, thanks Eddie and Brent for sober driving! :-) We saw some great music, Troy MacGillivray (Or Troy MacLiverly as Donald calls him), Andrea Beaton and Howie MacDonald just to name a few players!

And now for the link. I had seen this before in an email, but while in Ottawa, The girls and I watched a bunch of these videos. If you haven't seen "tete a claque" before, check this out: http://www.tetesaclaques.tv/video.php?vid=30 If you have a sense of humour like mine, you will find this pretty funny.

That's all for today, I hope to be able to update my website soon, Ciao Anastasia

My Space

2006-10-20T08:44:00.000-03:00

I have been working hard on my computer skills these days, figured out how to make my own little website, I record some music and transcribe some tunes. There is one thing that I find difficult. My Space. I'm not sre why I find it so complicated, everyone seems to use it. Everytime I try to change or add something, it takes me an hour to figure out how. I still have not even come close to figuring out how to move things around or change colors on the page. I added a few friends, but I don't even think any friends have added me :-| I don't even know how to figure that out. Am I the only one who finds this a bit of a challenge? If anyone wants to see where my page is at so far, this is the link: http://www.myspace.com/68770662
I hope that works because when I search my name, I get zero results! Anyone else have these kids of problems, or better yet, have easy solutions?

So, for a picture, how about some of my family members. This picture is of my youngest sister, Lisa and my nephew, Sam. My sister Joanna has 3 kids, Patrick, Sam and Grace. I try to hang out with them as much as I can. Grace, who is 3 is pretty funny. She tries to do everything her big brothers do. Anyhow, ciao for now, Anastasia

So Yeah....

2006-10-10T22:30:00.000-03:00

I was updating my website and somehow, I managed to delete all the tunes after the key of D. Not fun, not good. I had to go back and re-enter all the info and create new links for all the tunes. Still don't know how I did it. Of course I had saved all my canges before I realized what had happened. If anyone noices any missing tunes, please let me know.

I had a really fun trip to Québec for Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful weekend for traveling, on Sunday we went in the woods to Raymond and Phil's camp. They mostly use it in the winter for snowmobiling. It is pretty neat. The first picture is a picture of the cabin.The second picture in this post is of Yoko, the huge "Bouvier Bernois" (I have no idea what that is in English, maybe a Bernese mountain dog?) and Kiwi, the tiny Chihuahua. They are so funny together. They belong to Friends in Saguenay. Yoko is scared of Kiwi and when they are together, it's a pretty good show. Lots of good food and good company.

So for today's link. This one is only useful to the tune players. On a concertina website (concertina.net) they have this thing called a Tune-o-tron converter. The name makes me laugh, but it is a useful tool. You can copy/paste a tune in the box in abc format and it will convert it to standard notation. You can also use this page to hear a midi file of tunes. Kind of neat. Here is the link: http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html

Enough blogging for tonight... Anastasia

Title? Why do I need a title?

2006-10-04T21:18:00.000-03:00

Wednesday, getting closer to the weekend... I am going on a little trip to Saguenay, Québec this weekend for Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to that. I know what to expect on these trips, good food, good company and lots of fun, not necessarily in that order though the food is always particularly good. :-) I'm looking forward to the scenery on the trip up, always beautiful this time of year.

Todays picture is from our "Run for the Cure" show on Sunday. Christine who sings in the band, Tanya our new manager and Caroline who sings and plays piano...and guitar...and accordion.

And now for the link, I warn you, if you have an addictive personality like I do, DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK!! You won't be able to stop playing this game. Silly little game really, but lots of fun. My nephews got me hooked on this game site. Here is the link for Curveball . If you like this sort of thing, I also get a kick out of "bash your bank" and "boneless girl". Not super intellectual stuff, but definately good stress-busters. Now remember that you've been warned, the site is called addicting games, beware!

Run for the cure

2006-10-01T09:37:00.000-03:00

Today, some of us girls from Chiquésa are playing and singing at the run for the cure event in Charlottetown. Cancer is a disease that has deeply touched my family and this is a cause in which I truly believe. We are playing a few songs and tunes for the runners as they start to cross this finish line. Then, off to practice, we have a band practice and we are actually (believe it or not) starting to practice Christmas stuff.

Lots of fun last night, musiciand friends of mine, Monique and Andy got married in a beautiful ceremony in Palmer Road, PEI. Everything was perfect!! Todays picture is one of them leaving the church in a horse and carriage. The bride and all her attendants arrived in the same carriage. A great time was had by all.

Now a funny little story before I post my link for today. For those who aren't familiar with the band that I play with, (www.chiquesa.com) we are pretty silly sometimes. One of our running gags (and we have many, we love to laugh) is that whatever gig we do, we have to do publicity for the cottages owned by Caroline (singer/piano player)'s parents. They are called Les Chalets de la Grande Basse. Even though we make jokes, they are really nice cottages, so if you need a place to stay on PEI, close to the beach, relaxing, I could go on, but just go visit the website. http://chaletsgrandebasse.com/ Hahaha, So Jeannita, Marcel, you owe me now..... Or I guess you helped us out enough this summer that maybe we owe you still, plus you let us practice at "les chalets de la grande basse", and it's so relaxing at "les chalets de la grande basse" Oh, and inspiring, "les chalets de la grande basse"........

I want a fun blog too!

2006-09-29T08:24:00.000-03:00

I look at other people's blogs, such as my cousin's, http://www.meanwhilestudios.com/ and find them really well done. I know mine is pretty boring. So, I thought I'd try this: When I update my blog, I'm going to add a picture and a link each time . So the link for today was Troy's website (Meanwhile Studios).
Now for a picture, hmmmmm. Well, I had a look through some of my pictures (for those who don't know me very well, I take a lot of pictures) and I found one from early this summer. I went on a trip with Véro to her mom's place in Pointe-Aux-Outardes, near Baie Comeau in Québec. We went for a four wheeler ride on the beach right in front of her mom's house. She lives on the St. Laurent. This picture is of some little sticks in the ground that had been used by fisherman netting some kind of fish. I thought it was kind of neat.
So today, Friday, yay! I have a little get-together with the girls in my band "Chiquésa" and yes Caroline, the quotations are for you if you happen to read this, hahaha. We are having a supper meeting and then out for drinks. Looking forward to it! Have a great day everyone.

Back at it...

2006-09-27T09:04:00.000-03:00

Here I go again. I am going to start posting tunes on my site more often. I was in summer mode I guess. I had too much going on, then I just didn't feel like doing anything that resembled work.

Summer was great. Looking back I can say I had some great moments. I was a little busier than I would have liked. I had at least 5 or 6 gigs a week, sometimes more, sometimes many more. Then after the long weekend and the big high from the Acadian Festival, there was the big downer. You know, when you realize that all those gigs(as much as I complained about the places I had to work) and fun summer times are over. It took awhile, but I am starting to feel normal again.

Now, trying, TRYING to get organized for fiddle lessons. I am such a procrastinator. I have a zillion phone calls to return (if you're one of those people waiting for a call, I do apologize). I am anxious to teach, just too many students, I can't take everyone and I have to find a way to fit in as many as possible. Don't worry, if you're reading this, you're probably in, hahaha.

Now, my little gem for the day. I just stumbled across this tune this morning. It's Matt MacIsaac playing the guitar. I didn't even know he played the guitar. I'm pretty sure this is the guy who is the piper/flute player in Natalie MacMaster's band. I'm posting a link here, if it doesn't work, will someone let me know and I'll post the full site link. http://www.berzen.se/jimdorans/mattrick_matt_macisaac_wardsJig.mp3

Really worth a listen, one of those feelgood kind of tunes... Have a great day!

Technology baffles me...

2006-08-08T11:51:00.000-03:00

Well, sometimes, I can figure stuff out on my own and I find myself pretty smart, but other times, I wonder why I even try!

So I got my new laptop. I got it for recording music really and I haven't been able to do that yet. Dual core processors are supposed to be so fast and great, but appearantly that is not the case if you want to use Pro-tools. It doesn't seem to be compatible. But, on the other hand, I have a very nice computer shop guy (who happens to be my neighbor) who is trying to help me solve my problems. He had my computer for a few days, so no website updates during that time, sorry! It has been very busy here anyway. Also, I am trying, hoping and wishing for Eastlink to hook me up to their high speed internet. I think it is in the works, but I just can't wait!! My internet is so slow when it does work that updating the site can be a challenge.

Last weekend was the Fiddler's Jamboree and the special guest was Buddy MacMaster. he looked quite frail and I understand that he is recovering from sugery but he wanted to come anyway. His playing was amazing and I think everyone who saw him play was in awe.
There were also a couple of Chiquesa gigs and a Fricot show not to mention the parties.... lots of fun. The next few weeks will continue to be busy, but after that ... Finally some time off! September will be the time for getting some practice done and organizing my fall. I can't wait! Hope summer is lots of fun for everyone so far, take care, Anastasia

Day off, Wooooohoooo!!!!

2006-07-22T09:29:00.000-03:00

Yay, finally a day off. I don't have many of those these days. I guess I had 4 last week, but I went to Quebec and I guess when you travel, it's always so busy that it doesn't feel like you had time off. So today, lots of free time and supper with some friends.
So, all the shows are up and running, too bad we are still waiting for the sound system!! We are using a temporary one for now. Who knows if the new one will be here before the end of the summer. The new lights are in though and our technician Donald had them all figured out for last night's show. It was prety neat.
I just got my laptop last week and I am really excited about that. Just yesterday, I got a desk and chair and now I have my own little office at home. It's pretty neat and I'm glad to have some time today to get all set up. I want to do some recording, but I am having trouble getting pro-tools to work on my new laptop. I think it's an issue with the dual core. Anyone have any advice????
I know I have really been slacking off with my website updates. I guess a tune a day may be too much fo the summer months. I'll keep trying though and I'll put tunes up as often as I can. Hope it's sunny where you are....have a great day, Anastasia

Happy Canada Day!

2006-07-01T08:35:00.000-03:00

Happy Canada Day everyone! I have a gig with Chiquésa today. I am looking forward to that and then we're all (don't go camping Christina) going to Julie's cottage for a party after. They have a band playing there and everything.

* Anna's complaining section*
1. I bought a new instrument stand at Sober's(our local music store) yesterday and it was in a box and everything, but when I got it home and looked at it, it was a used one! Grrrr, there were big scratches on it, and the mechanism to hold the instrument doesn't work properly, oh and the foam is all chewed up on one side. I always say I will never buy stuff there, I never feel like a valued customer, and this just proves it again.
2. My internet provider drives me bananas. I didn't update my website on the 29th because I had no service!!! Nothing to be done. It's ok for a day or 2, then crappy, crappy, crappy. Ugh, nuts, they drive me nuts.
*end of Anna's complaining section*

So, Krista, sorry, silly me. Krista is a Landry if you read my last post and are still left hanging...

Come see Chiquésa play Monday at the Festival of Lights in Charlottetown, mainstage, I think someone said it's free, don't hold me to that though... Have a great day, Anna

It's Friday!

2006-06-23T08:34:00.000-03:00

I have a day off today! I think it's my last one for quite awhile. The shows are coming together, taking shape. Here is a little info on the 2 new summer shows:

1. Le Fricot - Cabaret style show, Caroline Bernard, Julie Arsenault (both in Chiquésa) Krista hahaha, I just realized I don't know Krista's last name.... update will follow on that one, Nick Arsenault and myself of course are the cast members. Director is Sylvie Toupin.
The show has lots of music, some sets of tunes and lots of songs written by local artists. The show will involve lots of audience participation. I think it will be lots of fun.

2. Café Au Laid - Dinner theatre style show with buffet for the meal. The play is written by Raymond J. Arsenault and it is a comedy. We laugh lots at rehearsal, so I hope people will find it funny! Most of the actors play more than one character in the play. There are some pretty whacky characters.... like Phillipe and Victoria and Earl..... The actors are Diane Racette, Raymond Arsenault, Donald Richard, Caroline Bernard, Pierre Poirier andAnastasia DesRoches. :-) As I said we really do laugh so much at rehearsals, I know this one is going to be a blast to do all summer, there is a musical portion in the show too.

So, that's what life is about these days. Gotta plant some grass in my yard soon...lots of mud in the backyard, my new deck is lots of fun, I need to have a deck party soon, who's coming? Off to finish laundry, Anastasia

Busy times

2006-06-19T09:00:00.000-03:00

2 weeks ago, I only had my Chiquésa gigs booked for the summer, now, I have bookings for 5 nights a week plus the Chiquésa stuff. Life changes fast. Now Caroline (from Chiquésa) and I are rehearsing day and night to learn music and text for 2 different shows!

The shows should be lots of fun, I am especially looking forward to the dinner theatre. The other actors/musicians are super talented and we have lots of great laughs! I hope you come to see the show!!

For those who don't already know, I have pictures posted at: http://anastasiadesroches.spaces.msn.com/PersonalSpace.aspx
I have been asked for more pictures than those posted on my website.

A funny story for you.... I USED to belong to a fiddle forum at a website called fiddlefork, but a few days ago, I posted a question about a tune, I asked who wrote it, where it comes from and if anyone knew where I could find the music. Well, the moderators thought that was not a good question so I got booted off the site, hahaha. If anyone from fiddlefork wants to find me, I now hang out at The Session This site has pretty much every tune you could be looking for and lots of friendly fiddlers and musicians to chat with. I'll try to behave so I don't get botted from this one! So, everyone, be on your best behavior today! Cheers, Anastasia

Busy day, busy day...

2006-06-11T07:40:00.000-03:00

Well, I'm kind of glad it's raining out. you know those days when you have a million things going on and you think you'll never get through it? This is one of them. I'm glad I'm a morning person. It gives me a few minutes to myself to gather my thoughts, update my website, etc.

This is what my day looks like. 10:30 am Raymond gets here to discuss the Dinner Theatre that we're doing this summer. 11am, the rest of the cast arrives. At 2pm, I have 2 things going on and I don't know which I'm going to do or in which order. There is a baby shower for my cousin who is having twins and I really want to go, but there is also a concert going on almost next door to my house! It's for my friend Karine, a fiddle player, who is trying to raise money to study in Ireland. Those both finish at 5 and at 5:30, it's practice with the Chiquésa girls!

Lots of things that will be fun, I just wish they weren't all on the same day!!! Then there's the fact that there will probably be a party tonight. There are lots of great musicians around for the concert this afternoon, so everyone will be looking to jam tonight! So it's getting close to 8 am, better get the coffee on........

Anna

June 9th, 2006

2006-06-09T07:48:00.000-03:00

Hello to everyone who checks out my website from time to time. I am trying to be as efficient as possible with the site and the tune postings. Apologies for not having posted a tune on the seventh, but I posted 2 on the 8th! It was year end concert day for my students in Summerside and the day just got too busy. I am going to be making changes to the "Tunes" page.

You will now... or soon be able to link to tunes in groups by type of tune. I'm not posting alphabetically because I like that the new tunes are at the bottom of the list, so if you haven't been on the site for awhile, you can easily see what's new.

I am always open to comments and suggestions here on my Blog, or by email. Also, feel free to sign the guestbook on my site, I have lots of fun reading the entries. I get excited when I have a new post! Look for lots of shows to be posted on the "Schedule" page soon.