Approximately thirty minutes of my being at work, slowly working on my document, I saw an e-mail from the vice president of IT, asking a number of us for the status of the software release notes. The customer was asking for them. The quality assurance woman got into it, directing the question at neon boy, who would have sent them. Well, it turns out that the developers had made some bug fixes to the software and wanted me to include them in my notes.

I will say that I work with the best developers. Two of them helped me with the notes. One gave me information on the fixes and the other looked at my release notes that I had produced last week. They were helpful. The latter and I had a good chat about the lack of precision with a couple of notes given to me. He, too, agreed with me that he would have interpreted the notes the way I did.

So, I'd say about 1.5 hours later, I got the notes out. I felt bad about telling the sales coordinator that I couldn't deal with her MSN messages right now. She was okay with that. I resumed to listening to her being upset with someone at work afterwards.

The president's son (PS) came over to talk to me. He doesn't have much to say that is intriguing to me. I was saved when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number. It was the director of human resources, who asked me about putting together a documented procedure for the health and safety committee. I said that this week was out of the question, but next week would work a bit better for me. Naturally, he followed up by writing to a number of people, including those in HR and my boss about this exercise.

PS tried to talk to me later on in the afternoon. Once again, my phone rang and I didn't recognize the number displayed. I picked it up. It was a recruiter, who asked me if now was a good time to talk. I said that I'd put her on hold. I then went to the training room. PS went walking with me over to this area for some reason. I closed the door and picked up the line.

I had applied for a technical writing job, just to see how I'd do these days in the job market. Well, she was interested in what I had to offer. She felt that my salary expectations were low. I was candid and said that I'm definitely underpaid at my current place of employment. She felt that I should be earning anywhere between $50,000 - $55,000. Wow. So, I need to get back to her to schedule an interview date and time.

I'd be doing roughly the same tasks I'm juggling right now. Well, I'd be writing and administering the website. Gone will be doing marketing (yes!). It's more of a software company. My commute time would be longer, but she feels that I'd have an opportunity to work from home after maybe half a year. Cool. It doesn't hurt to go for the interview.

The sales coordinator is attempting to quit smoking. Well, she was doing fine until she got all stressed out today. At the end of the day, she bummed a smoke off the new project manager and smoked outside the building as we both chatted. The moocher came over and we chatted briefly about tomorrow's trade show. Earlier, I was complaining about how poorly planned it was. It's to the point where none of the participants know when they are supposed to be there.

The moocher, practically at his car, asked me what my cellphone number was. So, I told him. He programmed it in his phone and said he'd give me a call tomorrow.

The sales coordinator and I drove to our usual parking lot in a plaza. She parked her car and got into mine. She's not crazy about driving downtown. I don't mind it at all. She was kind to pay for parking. We then hit the food court at the Eaton Centre, got some rather spicy Thai food (really good chicken, noodles, and green beans), chatted, and then headed to Massey Hall.

I had to check out the merchandise downstairs, so we did so. I bought a Jann Arden t-shirt, with the album cover logo on the front, and a nice leaf at the back, with the stops on her tour making up the leaf's structure. The t-shirt is kind of olive colour. It's nice.

The sales coordinator saw a black t-shirt with long white sleeves. She liked it a lot, but debated for a long time if she wanted to get it. I said that she could think about it and come back. So, we left and headed to our seats.

The show started promptly at 19:30, with SHeDAISY kicking it off. I found that all there songs sounded similar, but they were fine. They're a sister trio. Kelsi had red hair and had just given birth to twins. Krystin, the blonde, is the main songwriter of the trio. She kind of talked with a monotonous tone, but was funny when she said that most critics tag the group as being bitter, angry, hostile women. She said that she was listening to Jann Arden songs while she was writing them.

Kassidy is the main singer out of the trio, with the others either backing her up, or all three are singing in harmony. I remember when I was last at a Jann show at Massey Hall that all three women were in the audience. It's cool how they were now opening up for Jann.

At around 20:30, Jann came on-stage with her band. She wore a dark dress that flowed and flattered her new figure. Her dress had a plunging neckline. Later on in the show, she was saying how it's difficult to get a bra with one C up and one D cup. Ha! It makes sense why she wasn't moving about so much. She was avoiding spillage.

She kicked it off with "Where no one knows me." It was great seeing her, even if I was up in the first balcony, twelve rows behind, at the back.

She made a crack about a guy in the front row with three empty seats next to him. She first thought that he had said his name was Vin. It was actually Ben. Still, she said, "Vin, it is!" She then said that anyone wanting to date Vin could do so by sitting next to him. Sure enough, three women did sit next to him. I don't think they wanted to date him, though.

Introducing her band is what you'd expect her to do. She is incredibly gracious in this regard. She introduced Darcy Phillips, the keyboardist and vocalist. He was moving from Edmonton to Toronto with his family. I think she made a comment about how the Calgary Flames sucked in the playoffs. If not, it was perhaps when she was introducing Mike Lent. I do recall that she joked and said that they had worked briefly together in the adult movie industry.

I think she introduced Graham Powell next. I could be wrong. She said that he was a photographer, singer, and vegan. She didn't know how he managed to stay on his feet. She also said that he can consume an infinite amount of booze.

Next (I hope... again!) was Lyle Molzan. He's a recent father of a baby boy and is from Toronto. He did a reggae-flavoured version of "Could I be your girl" with Jann, which was great. Mike Lent plays bass and does vocals. She said that he has five children that all came from the same woman, which is a huge feat to achieve in the entertainment business. She had seen him play the bass at a nightclub when she was fairly young.

Finally, Russell Broom was introduced as being the leader of the band, for she has known him for at least fifteen years. She said that the reason for being together as songwriters and collaborators is due to the duo not sleeping together. However, they have seen each other's butt. It was too funny.

Just before her Uncover me segment, a table and chairs were pulled on-stage. She sang "California dreamin'" and noticed that a person working at Massey Hall took away a woman's camera. After she had finished the song, she invited that woman and her friend up on the stage. She asked that this woman's camera be returned, she pulled up a chair, and sang "You're so vain" to them. It became a bit of a sing-along, with Jann letting them each sing a bit of the song. Graham then helped take pictures of them all after the woman's camera was returned.

I love her music. The song that moved me the most tonight was "Could I be your girl," before the reggae-inspired version was delivered. Her voice was incredible -- both powerful and poignant. The accompaniment was minimal. It was beautifully done.

I laughed so hard when she talked about her friend's maxi pad skidding across the dance floor and how crappy the adhesive was years ago, before wings were invented. That was the best story she had told all night. I also enjoyed the choreographed step dance between Jann and Graham.

She ended her show with "Good mother," as always, with her playing the bells. I stood up from that point till the end of the encore. No one was behind me and I needed a good stretch.

She came back and got Graham to sing "Heaven," which was nicely done. I was impressed. She painted while Graham provided the musical accompaniment. Jann then said that the painting would be auctioned off, and proceeds would go to World Vision.

Jann brought out her guitar for the encore. I was wondering if she was going to strum at all. She did. She had changed into a nice blazer, with a blouse under it, and wore a great pair of jeans.

The following is a set list after much searching on the 'net. However, it's missing a song.

Set list

1. Where no one knows me
2. Willing to fall down
3. Wishing that
4. Could I be your girl
5. The sound of
6. I would die for you
7. Insensitive
8. Kitchen window
9. California dreamin'
10. You're so vain
11. At seventeen
12. Peace train
13. Sleepless
14. Hangin' by a thread
15. Good mother

Encore

16. Heaven (sung by guitarist Graham Powell)
17. Will you remember me
18. Unloved

After the show, the sales coordinator decided she really wanted the shirt. So, we went downstairs and she bought it. It was like swimming upstream to get out of the joint. She had a great time. So did I. We talked as we walked to the car and while we drove to the parking lot where she'd retrieve her car.

It took me half an hour to get home from the time I had left the parking lot downtown, to when I got home. That's pretty good.

Tomorrow is the trade show. I also have another fun evening of Jann. Yay!

I found the following review in the Toronto Star on Jann's performance.

Arden loves to please Apr 27, 2007 04:30 AM
GREG QUILL
ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST

The more that's made of Jann Arden's alternatively sad and funny stage routine, of the way she juxtaposes her melancholy, mid-tempo music with often outrageously funny banter, the easier it is to dismiss what a smart, honest and truly powerful songwriter she is.

Few composers have mapped the terrain of loneliness and longing as well as Calgary's beloved musical export has done in the 20 years since she made her first mark as a recording artist.

Arden reclaimed that territory Wednesday with a well-paced, warm and generously inclusive performance, the second of four concerts at Massey Hall.

But even she's inclined these days to make light of her special gifts. While praising the members of her exceptionally tasteful band for their mastery of "so many different kinds of music," she added: "All depressing ... but different."

No one in the audience – a devoted crew familiar with every brave and painful lyric – seemed to mind this self-deprecating aside. They were waiting for the funny bits between the lonesome hits, for Jann the comedy queen to clown her way to centre stage.

Arden did that effortlessly. She loves to please, and her sense of humour is as well-developed as her musical smarts.

The comic seemed at times to mock the singer, to shatter gleefully the solemn spell created by such aching songs as the heartbreak ballads "Willing to Fall Down" and "Hanging By a Thread (When I Cry)," the wistful road rocker "Where No One Knows Me" and, of course, her trademark piece "Insensitive."

After chatting up a man in the front row who was sitting alone beside three empty seats, Arden continued to endear herself to the crowd with brief glimpses of her desperate childhood in her parents' basement, impressions of her mother and father, and a hilarious story about a flying feminine pad at a high school dance.

"I had to stop and ask myself if it's in my best interests to point that out," she said, staring at an imaginary spot on the floor.

The line brought down the house, as did another routine in which Arden hauled two women up onstage and sat them at a cloth-draped table, complete with a lit candle, and encouraged them to join in on a rousing rendition of the 1970s Carly Simon hit "You're So Vain," one of several period pieces from Uncover Me, her current album, a collection of 1960s and '70s favourites.

It was a perfect Jann Arden moment: personal, intimate, and utterly human.