Need Music Industry Advice . . .

So my brother Joel is holed up in his room most of the time these days pumping out some amazing new music and his new song, Padan Fain, is his best yet.

Being his proud older sister I've taken on the task of getting his stuff out there and heard. And while I am a Marketing professional by trade I'm definitely not wise in the ways of the music world and I'm finding myself come up short already. This is not a good sign since we're still so early in the process.

So if anyone out there actually reads this blog and has any tips or advice on what we can do to get his music into the ears of people who will love and appreciate it, please share in the comments section below. Or email us at: joelcharlesmusic@gmail.com -- I'm all ears! (so corny I know - haha)

And for your listening pleasure here is the new song:

First Fall Sewing Project Done

So the tiny Klammer family went on vacation last week to Vancouver Island it was super wonderful and we had a great time hanging out at the beach, searching through tide pools, walking around the farm we stayed at and generally eating ridiculous amounts of yummy food.

And because I'm so hip & crafty (haha) I brought my sewing machine along with me on vacation ... yes, I'm still Danielle- I haven't been inhabited by an alien- I just like to sew now, ok? I even did some sewing on said sewing machine potentially only to justify bringing it along in the first place but whatever works I say!

So this is the shirt I made miss Gigi:

Even better here's Miss Gigi wearing the shirt!

It was the Magic Pocket top from my last post and I'm super happy with how it turned out. The pattern was super easy to use and the shirt only took me about an hour to make altogether. The best part though is that it's Georgia's new favourite shirt and she asks to wear it everyday!

Looks like I have a few more of these shirts to make for her fall wardrobe now that I know how much she loves it! I'm even going to try and modify the pattern a little to make it a cute dress and my good friend Elva gave me the idea of turning the pocket into a ladybug as that's Gigi's current obsession. If I can pull that off I will officially be labeling myself as crafty!

Fall Ambition

Summer here in Vancouver has been absolutely abysmal, depressing, and creativity-sucking. Sunlight & warmth have been pretty much non-existent which is enough to make even this loyal Vancouverite question her dedication to this beautiful area.

Summer is usually worn like a proud badge around here, flaunted with gusto so that we can hold on to the spectacular memories amidst the grey drizzle of the other 6-9 months of the year. But, SIGH, not this year - we're sitting at July 19th on the calendar and it's grey, and cool.

So, to improve my outlook I have started planning a fall wardrobe for Gigi that I'm going to make for her (all by myself!). Here are a few of the items on my to make list:

Magic Pocket Blouse (pattern from etsy shop Mani-Mina)

Urban Hoodie (pattern from etsy shop Heidi & Finn)

Chic Cocktail Swing Coat (from Heidi & Finn)

and the Pleat Bottom Pants (from Heidi & Finn)

Now to source out the right fabric for all these adorable clothes and get the novice sewing started!

Note to self:

Dear self,

I hate to break it to you but it's really hard to lose weight when you:

#1- go work out
#2- eat a cupcake right after

. . . Just thought I'd let you know for future reference.

--Me

I am no longer young. Or cool . . . *tear*

So we have a fresh-out-of-BCIT marketing intern working with us now at my work. I affectionately refer to him as "The Rookie" but really his enthusiasm, and intelligence throw me for a loop on a regular basis. He's so much like me 10 years ago. And really, that fact hurts deep within my soul because it's a keen reminder that I am almost 30.

To make matters worse not only am I almost 30 and a 10 year seasoned business person (I'm sobbing inside as I write this- btw) - the Rookie throws me these tidbits that let me know that I'm also not a cool, young trendsetter anymore ... SIGH. I'm not sure I'm ready to fully accept that reality yet. I loved being the girl with blue hair, new lingo and the inside scoop on the new hot band, restaurant, fashion trend etc.

To his credit though, Rookie fits the hip & in-the-know bill admirably ... minus the blue hair. His latest tidbit for me? www.plndr.com -- we're talkin' Cheap Monday skinny jeans for $8.99 people - yup, he's that cool.

Time for me to stop grasping desperately to the slipping hip-ness of my early 20's and embrace something else ... just don't know what that something else is yet.

On the ball or missing a marble ... it's a fine line.

So yesterday I did something that even I wondered about the sanity factor of it after. Are you ready for it? I bought a 3D Baby Ultrasound package that was on sale. Not that weird you say? Well it is if you aren't pregnant, or even trying to get pregnant for that matter - haha!

In my defense though, it was 50% off through www.surrey.com, which is similar to Groupon but specific to the Surrey area, and I thought "hey this is a good deal, might as well get it for future baby #2!"

When I got home and told Husband his response was to ask if that wasn't literally counting your chickens before they hatch and that maybe that would like ... jinx us?
"Nah," I said. "No such thing .... I think" ... gulp.
Then he said, "And what if I don't want to spend $80 to find out if this future baby is a boy or a girl?"
And that's when my crafty brilliance hit me - and I hadn't even done it intentionally!
"Too late!" I declared triumphantly (because I REALLY want to find out if baby #2 is a boy or a girl again). "I already bought it so now we HAVE to use it." Haha!

I'm so clever it kills me. Too bad I'm the only person who finds my cleverness so hilarious. Husband certainly doesn't ... "Ya Danielle, you think you're so smart," he says with an eye roll and shake of his head.

But really, who could turn down another opportunity to see this?

Not I. And not Husband. He just doesn't remember the silent awe like I do.

If there are any other non-pregnant, crazy, planner people out there like me who are interested in the deal ... or better yet, if you aren't crazy and are maybe actually pregnant (there's a novel idea!) -- here's the link: http://www.surrey.com/?cid=&id=184

17 years older, but not a day more mature?

The rioting in my hometown last night was a scary reminder of the human condition. I don't understand why an advanced society in this modern age can't seem to rise above humanity's more baser instincts.

It makes me question things about humanity like, is peace not a natural instinct? Maybe it's something learned with age? If you look at pictures that have been posted on the internet all the rioters appear to be under 30 males. While I am under 30 (barely) I am definitely not a male so I guess I just don't have the capacity to understand what would be alluring about causing a riot and destroying our beautiful city. My husband and brothers however are under 30 males who after last nights game showed absolutely no inclination towards anger or violence, so what's the difference? Is it upbringing, morals, class?

As a young parent these questions terrify me. It's been 17 years since the last Stanley Cup Final with the Canucks and apparently we haven't been able to move forward from it. In fact, this riot was apparently worse than the last one! So the real question on my mind is what do I and the other people of my generation need to do as a parents to ensure that we raise our children to be better than that? What do we need to do to ensure that the next Stanley Cup Final this city sees, or any big event for that matter, has a peaceful and respectful outcome - no matter what?

Good music, proud sister ...

My brothers' just started a new duo called charlie bird and released their first song on myspace last night.

In my humble sister opinion it's so incredibly good and every time I listen to it feel like I'm twenty again driving in the summer with my windows rolled down and my music turned way up. It's a good feeling and I love it that their music can make me feel that every time I listen to it without fail.

See for yourself:
Halflife by Charlie Bird

Dear Canucks, validate us please

As a beginning disclaimer - I'm not qualified to talk with any sort of authority about hockey. I am not so much a hockey fan but more like a Canucks fan and even that is more like a "Canucks fan by marriage." I'm sure though that many wives like me can attest to the fact that a fan by marriage often turns into a fan by choice.

One of the main reasons I became a fan by choice is the Sedin twins. I think they are equal parts talent and class and in my books that's the perfect recipe for a world class athlete. I think another current athlete that embodies that recipe is George St.-Pierre - talented and classy (and Canadian so that helps too).

Another reason I couldn't help but become a Canuck fan by choice, is the other fans. There is a real sense of ownership amongst the fans here in Vancouver ... whether that's fueled by the Canucks slogan "We are all Canucks" or not, it seems to be true. We all feel that we are Canucks - we keenly feel the losses and euphorically celebrate the wins and we are fiercely proud of our boys, no matter what.

However, what I think this team and its fans really need right now is a sense of validation. After watching the disappointment of game 6 last night my brother said, "I feel like we will still win the cup in game 7 but I worry that everyone will say that we didn't deserve the win because of our failures on Boston ice." Wow, way to really put how I think the entire city is feeling into one sentence. However, as we've all heard time and time again throughout our lives, "Who cares what everyone else thinks?" I'd like to think that Vancouver could rise above worrying what everyone else thinks and just play a good game. Despite the previous advice though, I think there's a part in all of us that still wants the rest of the league to acknowledge the Canucks as hard-fought and rightful winners when we win the cup.

I think the refereeing throughout this series has made the Canucks team and its fans feel disrespected and invalidated. We need to win the cup despite the disrespect, despite the thug play of the Bruins ... and we need to win it decisively for Vancouver and no one else. It's like the 2010 Olympics all over again here ... Vancouver needs its golden goal on Wednesday night!


Go Canucks Go!

Trying to regain my former self ...

In a literal sense I'm trying to regain my former self, as in physically. I'm currently on a mission to fit back into my clothes that I enjoyed pre-baby. I'm even going so far as to try and fit into those clothes that still lurk in my closet from pre-marriage! That's about 20 lbs of excess "self" that I have to shed to regain my former physique and since I'm practically a sloth where physical activity is concerned it should be an interesting journey.

I'm dangling this little swimsuit carrot in front of myself though to keep me going in the right direction. f I'm successful in my shedding I might just treat myself to this swimsuit - Definite motivation in my books!

Sorrento Swimsuit - Shabby Apple

 Happy slimming to me!

Happiness is a feeling not a place ...

I'm a believer that happiness is a feeling not a place you arrive at or a level you achieve in the game of life. Sometimes your happy, sometimes your sad, angry, content ... but to be human is to be in a constant state of change.

The problem is that for the past year I have essentially been happy all the time. Being on maternity leave, at home with my daughter gave me so much happiness on such a consistent basis that when I returned to work last month I think I had lost sight of what happiness is and had started to believe that it should be a permanent state.

This past month, being back at work has been full of ups and downs and I think I was going through shock for awhile at the range of emotions I was experiencing on a daily and weekly basis. I think that the happy bubble I was living in during mat leave has officially burst now and I'm back in the "real world."

The last two weeks haven't been awesome and I've been feeling pretty melancholy but you know, I'm ok with that. I've remembered that life is like this and I just have to roll with it. It won't last forever ...

I picked up a book of poetry by Leonard Cohen the other day called The Book of Longing. Mr Cohen is amazing, and I have much envy of his brilliant prose. I find it funny though how some poetry just jumps out at you for unknown reasons. I'll leave you with my favourite poem so far:

Roshi at 89
Roshi's very tired,
          he's lying on his bed
He's been living with the living
          and dying with the dead
But now he wants another drink
          (will wonders never cease?)
He's making war on war
           and he's making war on peace
He's sitting in the throne-room
           on his great Original Face
and he's making war on Nothing
           that has Something in its place
His stomach's very happy
           The prunes are working well
There's no one going to heaven
           and there's no one left in Hell
                             -Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing

Must stop blinking!

In exactly 2 days my daughter, Georgia, turns one. I have no idea how it's possible for a year to fly by as quickly as this past year did. And I feel like the universe should dole out a speeding ticket to Time, and tell it to slow down and obey the stated speed limit ... you know the 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year one? Because I'm SURE, that Time played a dirty trick on me this year and skipped over entire weeks at a time.

My bitterness aside though, being able to spend the past year with Georgia was so precious and I'll hold the memory of that time close to my heart forever. So for today I simply say, Time please do me a favour and slow down just a little so I can properly treasure the miracle of watching my daughter grow up!