Ok guys, get your kettles at the ready and get some biscuits to hand because this is going to be a long one! I love taking time at the end of each year to reflect and take stock of what I've accomplished before moving on into the glittering, misty future. This year was probably the zaniest of all so far. In the space of twelve months I managed to:
move to Canada ♥︎ spend a multitude of sorry hours bussing in and out of Toronto from Barrie looking for apartments ♥︎ consume a great deal of maple biscuits ♥︎ move into Toronto ♥︎ find an internship ♥︎ live in an apartment with no room ♥︎ have my hair catch fire in a bar ♥︎ cut my hair short ♥︎ impersonate a music blogger at media lunch ♥︎ perform at Canadian Music Week ♥︎ meet and speak to Amanda Palmer twice ♥︎ see a ridiculous number of incredible gigs ♥︎ play several of my own gigs ♥︎ move into a gorgeous apartment in the summertime ♥︎ cry in several public spaces ♥︎ see many raccoons ♥︎ go on 6 tinder dates ♥︎ lose my debit card 3 times ♥︎ work as a barista ♥︎ visit New York City ♥︎ visit Boston ♥︎ attend NXNE ♥︎ attend Riot Fest ♥︎ see three of my all-time favourite artists live ♥︎ write 30,000 words of a science-fiction novel ♥︎ accidentally serenade a posse of drug dealers on a street corner ♥︎ make friends through Craigslist, coffee shops, Tinder, playing gigs and apartment viewings ♥︎ tell two live stories in front of over a hundred people ♥︎ get tattooed ♥︎ completely flip out on several occasions ♥︎ SURVIVE
Honestly, this time last year I was a baby. A MERE BABE compared to the superhuman ultra-goddess of knowledge and power and wisdom that I am now (currently ignoring the fact that I'm writing this with a head-cold in bed, surrounded by snotty tissues and toast crumbs. And Christmas chocolate wrappers.) The Olivia of 2013 was completely naive and despite her assurances to everyone that she knew exactly what she was getting into, she had no idea what she was getting into. But it's okay. She learned a lot.
I'm cracking up looking at this comparison: on the left we have the first ever picture taken of me in Canada, and on the right we have the last ever picture taken of me in Canada this year. Look at the girl holding her first Canadian beer! She's got no bloody clue what's going on! Granted, she's just gotten off of a eight-hour flight, but still!!! She looks like one of those Compare The Meerkats dot com or something. Full of naivety and dreams which are about to be quashed. Quashed!!! I say!!!! Now, on the right we have Olivia riding the taxi to the airport. She actually looks like she could kill a man. If I didn't know any better I'd say that's what she is on her way to do right now. Look at that steely gaze! She's seen it all. She's tired of your shit. Job well done, Canada.
OK LETS DO THIS SEASON BY SEASON
WINTER
I arrived in Canada. It was consistently minus twenty degrees Celsius, and then some wind chill thrown on top of that. There was a lot of snow and I drank my first ever cup of Tim Hortons. The Winter Olympics were on in Sochi and I bought a pair of Team Canada mittens which were the warmest (I then lost them on the bus one day, sadface). I looked for apartments and I had to take a two-hour bus into Toronto from Barrie and then a two-hour bus out of Toronto to Barrie nearly every day. I met someone at a flat viewing who pointed me in the direction of Audio Blood. I met another someone who used to be in Fresh Air and she became such a wonderful helpful person! I went on two Tinder dates and met Mr. Swipey. I found an apartment in Parkdale which had no window or air-conditioning (which at the time was not a problem) and moved in. I met Athena and we spent time drinking/thrifting/brunching together. A bunch of open mics were played. I got the internship with Audio Blood.
SPRING
Busy busy busy! Spring was so crazy. I was well into my job as PR intern at Audio Blood, I worked with them for Canadian Music Week, running around the Marriott Hotel downtown. I saw Owen Pallett live and my heart exploded. I played my own gig at Canadian Music Week. My Mum came to visit, as did Ian, and I spent a lot of time out and about exploring Parkdale and other parts of the city, as the weather got warmer. I put an ad on Craigslist looking for musicians to play with and found a great friend instead. It was so exciting when I finally saw blossoms and leaves on the trees. My apartment hosted a house party and my hair caught fire in a bar. Then I got my hair cut short which is something I never thought I'd do. I started to go swimming at the community pool at Trinity Bellwoods with the old ladies. I wrote and recorded my 'sadgirls' EP in my bedroom in the hot space of a couple days.
This was the most difficult season by far. I finished my internship, the momentum of "OMG CANADA" had died away, and despite moving to the most beautiful, perfectly situated apartment ever on College/Dovercourt, I had no-one to share the summer with. I decided to write a novel and penned about 30,000 words of a science-fiction story about the moon which is still nowhere near finished. I went a little bit crazy with the isolation, but nothing compared to the feeling of walking round the residential streets at dusk in the summer heat. A girl heard me complaining about being lonely while I was on Skype to my sis in a coffee shop and befriended me. I nabbed myself a NXNE wristband and saw St Vincent thrash about on stage at Yonge-Dundas Square. I ate a lot of gelato and green vegetables. I refused to set my bedframe up and slept on my mattress which was placed right under the window so the sun and the moon could always shine on it. I went to New York to see my best friend from uni, Christina. We watched the fourth of July fireworks on a rooftop in Williamsburg. I finally found a job at the French Cafe and made a lot of new friends, also managing to make some decent coffee in the process. I wrote a bunch more songs, including my most favourite song of this whole year, "Cold".
AUTUMN
Probably my favourite season, as I really felt like I was getting into the swing of things! I had a whole bunch of friends and kept making more and more at work and suchlike. I moved into my final apartment in Toronto, up on Dufferin and Bloor. I became super friends with Melissa, my flatmate there. We played two gigs together! I went to Riot Fest and saw my Canadian true loves from my teenage years, Billy Talent. I visited Boston to see my sister and my parents came across, too. I turned 23 and celebrated my first ever Canadian birthday! I saw Mozart's Sister play live at Long Winter and danced like a crazy person. I went ice skating for the first time in ages. I packed up my stuff but left a lot behind in Toronto. I got on a plane and came home to Scotland.
Eh. No wonder I've got a helluva cold right now then, eh? Also, I can't stop writing "eh." Canada has taken its toll.
Another thing I like to do is compile my Year In Songs, which is a playlist consisting of my most favourite song from each month. I'm a bit of a terrible dinosaur when it comes to new music so don't hold your breath in anticipation of extra-cool new North American tunes because over half of the playlist is stuff that was written before I was born, pretty much. I have had to stick by my guns and so I say yes Gordon Lightfoot's song is on there (and I keep accidentally typing 'Gordon Lightfood') because it is something I must have played about a million times on the piano in early February. Oh, if you could read my mind, love...
Eh. No wonder I've got a helluva cold right now then, eh? Also, I can't stop writing "eh." Canada has taken its toll.
Another thing I like to do is compile my Year In Songs, which is a playlist consisting of my most favourite song from each month. I'm a bit of a terrible dinosaur when it comes to new music so don't hold your breath in anticipation of extra-cool new North American tunes because over half of the playlist is stuff that was written before I was born, pretty much. I have had to stick by my guns and so I say yes Gordon Lightfoot's song is on there (and I keep accidentally typing 'Gordon Lightfood') because it is something I must have played about a million times on the piano in early February. Oh, if you could read my mind, love...
AND NOW... 2015
- get my second work permit
- move back to Canada as soon as feasibly possible
- play more gigs
- go to more gigs
- gigs gigs gigs gigs
- MORE HUMAN FRIENDS
- swim in Lake Ontario and have the Canadian summer that I did not have in 2014 with islands and bikinis and cottages and campfires
- get an actual job in Canada which is somewhat related to music
- visit Montreal
- stop worrying about what other people think
- continue to learn and kick many, many butts. mostly my own butt, though
Last December I came up with a mantra-word-thing for 2014, that word being fight. I think this year was a marathon more than a boxing match, if we're going for sports metaphors here. Though if anyone was getting beaten up this year I am 99% sure it was me. I'm not quite sure what 2015's word should be. I want to be creative and a lot more courageous. I'm seeing 2015 as a year with beaches and swings and yellow yellow yellow sunshine and a lot of college-ruled notebooks full of ideas and a lot of cameras clicking and holding hands and thoughts and conversations and beers (even though I don't drink beer, I'm seeing beers here...s) and laughs and green leaves and blue waters and questions and answers and victories and people, lots of people, all around.
So, essentially, more of this:
(Here's meh: up on a rooftop in NYC with old friends and new, in the height of summer wearing red lipstick, a cheap dress and feeling FAB U LOUS)
Less of this:
(Actually lolling at this picture. This was me for most of the summer. Billy-No-Mates!!! BILLY-NO-MATES!)
I just want to dive right in, but knowing that Toronto isn't going to come until May is quite hard. It's silly, because there is literally a whole catalogue of evidence (see every other blog post on here ever) about how difficult I found moving to Toronto alone, but at the same time, I don't think I've ever experienced so many things and had so many interesting times as I did when I was over there. This year I really learned how to survive by myself in many aspects of life, but this year I'd really like to learn how to connect with people more. I believe that the way you start each new year sets the tone for how the rest of the year will pan out: I came into 2014 working in a restaurant, the bells tolling as I was racing between tables, surrounded by people I didn't know and having to work and just bouncing through everything like a pinball in a machine. I'm hoping that this new years will be less frantic, but just as thrilling. And with FRIENDS, Jesus, with friends.
Thanx to everyone who helped contribute to this year being the weirdest year ever. I love you. May 2015 actually see less blog posts about me freaking out about my life purpose. Bada-boom!
2015 LETS DO THIS
Yes yes yes! Love this post and you so much!! Can't wait to reunite again for more adventures as soon as possible! NYC NYE 2015?? :-*
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