2018 Alphabet
As is the tradition of this blog, 26 short snippets both old and new from the last year somehow related to the alphabet:
Amy Hillis and Katherine Dowling - At the start of November, Amy Hillis and Katherine Dowling had a show at the University Theatre. It was a delightful mix of styles. Particularly interesting was the piece with looping video from the Shining providing the rhythm. Bonus, there was bannock and I got to introduce myself to Amy after the show.
Beef Wellington - The beef wellington at Avenue restaurant is possibly the single best meal I ate all year. Perfectly tender beef surrounded by crispy pastry with a horseradish sauce that has just enough bite - I really need to go back and have it again.
Chamber Music Festival - The start of July has one of Regina's best kept secrets, the chamber music festival. Held in the beautiful Westminster United Church, it brings supremely talented musicians from across the country in to play and teach. I always enjoy it and inevitably discover new music that intrigues me. It is also always one of the hottest weeks of the year and the church doesn't have air conditioning, but there is ice cream right across the street.
Donuts - After going to the Farmers' Market, almost every Saturday I go to Happy Hi for a drink and a donut, but the most memorable donut event was the Beer and Donut pairing at Rebellion. Nacho cheese, Reuben, and pretzel and salted caramel donuts were paired with matching beers. I'm not going to become a beer drinker, but unlike some I've had, these were all drinkable and the Reuben donut was amazing. I'm not sure how my Saturday routine will work in the 2019 - Happy Hi is changing locations with their current spot inside T+A set to close at the end of February.
Ellen Doty - I first saw Ellen Doty at a show in the basement of T+A. Smooth vocals with minimal accompaniment makes her one of my new favourite jazz musicians. I just discovered that she'll be back in Regina soon with a show at the Artesian on January 26. (Unfortunately, that's the same date as Begonia is playing for Winterruption.)
Folk Road Show - Playing at the Creative City Centre in early October, Folk Road Show filled the intimate venue with delicious four part harmonies.
Garrys - If there's one band that can convince me to leave the house, it is the Garrys. Based out of Saskatoon, they have a unique sound that I once described as being almost but not entirely unlike the Beach Boys.
Hey Ocean - If you are up for a night of fun and Hey Ocean is in town, you should go. While not quite as memorable as the storm show from 2017 that had an unexpected fully acoustic set when the power went out, their November show was as high energy and entertaining as ever.
Ice - Perhaps the longest period of hoar frost I ever remember took place at the end of November. Everyone took pictures and it was at least partially to blame for one of the most major power outages in Saskatchewan's history.
Julia McDougall - Julia doesn't perform in Regina much these days, but she'll often put on a show for friends when she's in town. I was fortunate enough to get invited to her show at the end of August and she even sang one song just for me. It was a sad song about her grandmother and is one of my personal favorites. It always make me cry.
Koester, Robyn - Robyn also doesn't perform much these days which isn't surprising considering she has three kids who are all still at home. Thankfully, she was able to find the time to play at the Creative City Centre in September. It was one of those shows so good that I just didn't want to go home after.
Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal - Performing to music by Leonard Cohen, with almost no set, and costumes that were almost entirely various shades of gray, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal created a high paced urban piece that kept me enraptured throughout.
Malinche - In addition to eating at the food truck basically every week they were open, I also took Malinche's six week Mexican cooking course. While I haven't used what I've learned as much as I would like it was a delicious way to spend some Wednesdays.
Nuit Blanche - I wasn't in the best of moods when I left the house, but when I arrived at Victoria Park, the lights of the art installations drew me from one installation to the next and lightened my spirits. It's just a shame that the weather was unseasonably cold for the end of September.
Oveja con Trufa - One of my favourite cheeses available at Takeaway Gourmet is this sheep's milk and truffle cheese. At this point, Saturday cheese shopping at Takeaway is almost as important as visiting the Farmers' Market.
Port Cities - Three part harmonies and with the flavor of the East Coast, Port Cities played two outstanding sets at the Artesian in late November. It's a shame it was the same night as Kacy and Clayton were playing at the Exchange, but I think I made the right choice.
Quest - I went searching for the best non-chain burger in the city. My current favourite is probably the one at Jack Keaton's. (Avenue's burger is pretty close and for those that want to be able to choose how well done the meat is, that's the only place that offers that option.) I'm sure there are places I haven't tried yet though.
Revival date - I met a woman at a concert at Revival. She was very drunk, quite friendly, but kind of obnoxious. I went for coffee with her the next week and she was less obnoxious but less friendly and definitely not the right person for me. Even though I knew before asking her to go for coffee that it wasn't going anywhere, I'm glad I did. It meant that the various questions about getting her number or taking her home or giving her a second chance all had answers plus, that was a story I was able to share for a couple of weeks.
Saltine - Perhaps the best bread baker in the city opened a retail bakery this fall. You can find Saltine Baking Company at 3904a Gordon Road. They don't sell sweets, but you can get some amazing croissants and savoury danishes as well as bread. They also offer various workshops. I took the introduction to naturally leavened bread course and not only did I learn some new techniques and get a couple of loaves of bread, but also I got a piece of her starter which I've somehow managed to keep alive.
Tarts - I've been baking a lot of tarts this year. They range from the fairly conventional lemon curd to the exotic rose, almond, and saffron tart that I made most recently.
Urbane - I bought a couple of new chairs for my living room at Urbane EQ3 in January. They are grey and sleek and comfortable.
Vacant - My boss retired at the end of August and ever since, his office which has a window has been vacant. Maybe they'll let me move into it in the new year.
Winterruption - As part of the Winterruption festival in January, Begonia was playing along with Bears in Hazenmore and Close Talker. The music was incredible, but better than that was that I ran into Suzy and Robyn there and we sat and talked and laughed. I don't have enough nights like those.
XLVIII - I turned 48 this September. (Roman numerals will only work for this for one more year for me. I may have to take up xylophone when I turn 50.)
Youth Ballet - I didn't go to New York or Chicago or anywhere else with a professional ballet company, but I actually did see two ballet performances in November. First was Ballet Jorgen's version of the Nutcracker. It's less creepy and has fewer problematic stereotypes than other versions I've seen, but I missed the growing Christmas tree. Then I saw Youth Ballet of Saskatchewan's fall performance. That's a show that's really meant more for friends and family of the performers, but I still found it delightful.
Zany - I thought I had a quiet year, but somehow I still went to over 170 different things.
Amy Hillis and Katherine Dowling - At the start of November, Amy Hillis and Katherine Dowling had a show at the University Theatre. It was a delightful mix of styles. Particularly interesting was the piece with looping video from the Shining providing the rhythm. Bonus, there was bannock and I got to introduce myself to Amy after the show.
Beef Wellington - The beef wellington at Avenue restaurant is possibly the single best meal I ate all year. Perfectly tender beef surrounded by crispy pastry with a horseradish sauce that has just enough bite - I really need to go back and have it again.
Chamber Music Festival - The start of July has one of Regina's best kept secrets, the chamber music festival. Held in the beautiful Westminster United Church, it brings supremely talented musicians from across the country in to play and teach. I always enjoy it and inevitably discover new music that intrigues me. It is also always one of the hottest weeks of the year and the church doesn't have air conditioning, but there is ice cream right across the street.
Donuts - After going to the Farmers' Market, almost every Saturday I go to Happy Hi for a drink and a donut, but the most memorable donut event was the Beer and Donut pairing at Rebellion. Nacho cheese, Reuben, and pretzel and salted caramel donuts were paired with matching beers. I'm not going to become a beer drinker, but unlike some I've had, these were all drinkable and the Reuben donut was amazing. I'm not sure how my Saturday routine will work in the 2019 - Happy Hi is changing locations with their current spot inside T+A set to close at the end of February.
Ellen Doty - I first saw Ellen Doty at a show in the basement of T+A. Smooth vocals with minimal accompaniment makes her one of my new favourite jazz musicians. I just discovered that she'll be back in Regina soon with a show at the Artesian on January 26. (Unfortunately, that's the same date as Begonia is playing for Winterruption.)
Folk Road Show - Playing at the Creative City Centre in early October, Folk Road Show filled the intimate venue with delicious four part harmonies.
Garrys - If there's one band that can convince me to leave the house, it is the Garrys. Based out of Saskatoon, they have a unique sound that I once described as being almost but not entirely unlike the Beach Boys.
Hey Ocean - If you are up for a night of fun and Hey Ocean is in town, you should go. While not quite as memorable as the storm show from 2017 that had an unexpected fully acoustic set when the power went out, their November show was as high energy and entertaining as ever.
Ice - Perhaps the longest period of hoar frost I ever remember took place at the end of November. Everyone took pictures and it was at least partially to blame for one of the most major power outages in Saskatchewan's history.
Julia McDougall - Julia doesn't perform in Regina much these days, but she'll often put on a show for friends when she's in town. I was fortunate enough to get invited to her show at the end of August and she even sang one song just for me. It was a sad song about her grandmother and is one of my personal favorites. It always make me cry.
Koester, Robyn - Robyn also doesn't perform much these days which isn't surprising considering she has three kids who are all still at home. Thankfully, she was able to find the time to play at the Creative City Centre in September. It was one of those shows so good that I just didn't want to go home after.
Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal - Performing to music by Leonard Cohen, with almost no set, and costumes that were almost entirely various shades of gray, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal created a high paced urban piece that kept me enraptured throughout.
Malinche - In addition to eating at the food truck basically every week they were open, I also took Malinche's six week Mexican cooking course. While I haven't used what I've learned as much as I would like it was a delicious way to spend some Wednesdays.
Nuit Blanche - I wasn't in the best of moods when I left the house, but when I arrived at Victoria Park, the lights of the art installations drew me from one installation to the next and lightened my spirits. It's just a shame that the weather was unseasonably cold for the end of September.
Oveja con Trufa - One of my favourite cheeses available at Takeaway Gourmet is this sheep's milk and truffle cheese. At this point, Saturday cheese shopping at Takeaway is almost as important as visiting the Farmers' Market.
Port Cities - Three part harmonies and with the flavor of the East Coast, Port Cities played two outstanding sets at the Artesian in late November. It's a shame it was the same night as Kacy and Clayton were playing at the Exchange, but I think I made the right choice.
Quest - I went searching for the best non-chain burger in the city. My current favourite is probably the one at Jack Keaton's. (Avenue's burger is pretty close and for those that want to be able to choose how well done the meat is, that's the only place that offers that option.) I'm sure there are places I haven't tried yet though.
Revival date - I met a woman at a concert at Revival. She was very drunk, quite friendly, but kind of obnoxious. I went for coffee with her the next week and she was less obnoxious but less friendly and definitely not the right person for me. Even though I knew before asking her to go for coffee that it wasn't going anywhere, I'm glad I did. It meant that the various questions about getting her number or taking her home or giving her a second chance all had answers plus, that was a story I was able to share for a couple of weeks.
Saltine - Perhaps the best bread baker in the city opened a retail bakery this fall. You can find Saltine Baking Company at 3904a Gordon Road. They don't sell sweets, but you can get some amazing croissants and savoury danishes as well as bread. They also offer various workshops. I took the introduction to naturally leavened bread course and not only did I learn some new techniques and get a couple of loaves of bread, but also I got a piece of her starter which I've somehow managed to keep alive.
Tarts - I've been baking a lot of tarts this year. They range from the fairly conventional lemon curd to the exotic rose, almond, and saffron tart that I made most recently.
Urbane - I bought a couple of new chairs for my living room at Urbane EQ3 in January. They are grey and sleek and comfortable.
Vacant - My boss retired at the end of August and ever since, his office which has a window has been vacant. Maybe they'll let me move into it in the new year.
Winterruption - As part of the Winterruption festival in January, Begonia was playing along with Bears in Hazenmore and Close Talker. The music was incredible, but better than that was that I ran into Suzy and Robyn there and we sat and talked and laughed. I don't have enough nights like those.
XLVIII - I turned 48 this September. (Roman numerals will only work for this for one more year for me. I may have to take up xylophone when I turn 50.)
Youth Ballet - I didn't go to New York or Chicago or anywhere else with a professional ballet company, but I actually did see two ballet performances in November. First was Ballet Jorgen's version of the Nutcracker. It's less creepy and has fewer problematic stereotypes than other versions I've seen, but I missed the growing Christmas tree. Then I saw Youth Ballet of Saskatchewan's fall performance. That's a show that's really meant more for friends and family of the performers, but I still found it delightful.
Zany - I thought I had a quiet year, but somehow I still went to over 170 different things.
