It's another cold day. I went out this morning to a balmy -52ºC windchill. The car started up nicely again. Today seems to be a carbon copy of yesterday. It would be nice if it were in some respects.

Work was fairly standard yesterday. I worked on various tasks in the morning, and worked too quickly that I was bored by the afternoon. I found some minor editing to do, so that kept me happy. I'm supposed to be working on a new product soon. The only person who is familiar with it is extremely busy these days. I will be under the supervision of the panickmeister (a.k.a. project manager) on this task now. Oh what fun.

After work yesterday, I picked up my friend and headed downtown. The objective was to grab a bit of dinner prior to seeing Jann Arden. So, I parked on a side street that was a couple of blocks away from the Burton Cummings Theatre (formerly the Walker Theatre). Since is was so darn frigid, we walked over to the Ramada Inn and dined at Churchill's.

I'd recommend going to Churchill's if you aren't in a rush. If you're chatting with an old friend and would like to stay for hours in a cozy setting, this would be the perfect place to do so. However, we waited for our food for practically an hour. I was quite hungry, too. When the food did come, it was great. Too bad it wasn't too filling.

So, at roughly 19:35, we walked across the street and filed into the theatre. Winnipeggers must be nuts to line up outside in -50ºC (windchill) weather. Hey, I survived it! It's worth it to see Jann. If anyone hasn't seen her in concert, you must. She is by far the best stage act I have seen in my life.

We sat in the first balcony section and were practically dead centre. I love the front row balcony. The view is just amazing. The theatre is very cozy.

I found out from Shannon that Emm Gryner had opened up for Jann in Vancouver a week or two ago. I was hoping that Emm would here. I was delighted to see her appear on stage. My friend didn't know who she was. I told him to wait a bit. Her second song made him realize who she was. She performed "Symphonic" and it was simply amazing. I knew she was a talented singer-songwriter-musician (guitar and keyboards), but I never realized just how funny she is. The best line from her last night was (I'm paraphrasing, but it's pretty close), "I was nominated for a Juno award. (applause) Don't get too excited. I had the Juno ripped out of my cold, dead hands by a young tart named Avril Lavigne."

Both performers were prompt getting on stage. Emm was on at 20:00. Jann followed an hour later. Jann looked great in a black pantsuit with a white blouse underneath and its sleeves being longer than her suit. She had a black choker around her neck. It suited her well. She had black shoes with chunky heels. I wanted to find out where she got them. I liked them a lot.

Jann belted so many songs out last night. I brought my camera with me, but I was so mesmerized by her voice that I didn't bother. Her voice consumed my soul. I was moved. I love her. She's a hoot.

I never realized how special her song "Waiting in Canada" was for me until last night. I played that song and every other song off her Blood Red Cherry when I first moved to the States back in 2000. It didn't leave my car's CD player for a good five months. My nationalism was tested back then, and it's stronger than ever now. It's great to be home.

She did a couple of songs with Emm. I loved "Four feet deep". Their voices complement each other so well. Jann and her band did a few fun covers by Blondie, the Guess Who, and Karen Carpenter. It was amazing to see her sing song after song. I was in heaven.

Her second-last song she performed was a new song called "You're everything" that will be on Puretracks.com soon. I'll have to cave in and download it when it's available. The string arrangement for that song is beautiful. She closed out with "Good mother". That song was running through my head all day yesterday. It's still there this morning.

I found out last night that one of her own favourite songs is "Gasoline". It has always been one of mine. How cool! She has such an amazing voice. She didn't disappoint anyone last night. It was worth battling the cold to get there. I bought a black long-sleeved shirt with "Jann Fann" in white on the front after the show.

I got home at around 23:30. I spent about ten minutes in the car trying to stop shivering so I could drive off. I had a late night snack with my friend, drove him home and then myself. I think I finally fell asleep at 02:00. It was a fun, memorable night. It's been such a long time since I laughed that hard.

After work, I must get some groceries. I even placed my foldable shopping cart in my car this morning. I definitely have to get carrots for the pets and water for me.

Well, I'm off to be productive. I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I'll find something.

|

Song that's stuck in my head: Anything by Jann Arden
Yummy food eaten today: Snacking on cheese
What I crave: A hamburger

Recent thoughts:
Readings, lights, and random thoughts - 2009-03-15
Thoughts about work, school, and peeps - 2009-03-09
Working from home and a mini life update - 2008-12-19
The weekend is here! - 2008-01-06
A new year - 2008-01-01