a room full of ukes!

Although my job requires working 'til 9:30 most nights, I usually make sure to have my Wednesday nights free to take the train to Queen St E. downtown. Every week at the Dominion Pub, there's a free ukulele workshop and open mic, and the people there are some of the most friendly folks you'll meet.

The first half of the evening, the workshop, is a ton of fun in itself -- no matter what your skill level, you come away from it feeling like you've learned something. I've been playing ukulele for about a year now (wow, time flies...) and while it's definitely one of the least intimidating instruments out there to learn, it's like anything else in that practice and pushing yourself a little harder each time you play is the key to getting really good! The workshop is perfect for that, and since you're playing with lots of other people, if you make mistakes it's not a huge deal.

Every first Wednesday of the month is a theme night, and the next one looks like it'll be a great time, since we're headed to a bowling alley for an Elvis-themed uke and bowl! I think half the fun is gonna be seeing the expression on everyone else's face at the sight of a mass of people with little four-stringed instruments just hanging out in a public place. :) That's a big part of the appeal of the ukulele for me, the amazing power it has to make people happy!

My most recent ukulele purchase was this aNueNue, featuring the adorable U900 ukulele duo (who you can see in action on kerokeroking's Youtube channel). I absolutely love it to pieces, and it has a GREAT sound and build quality for its low price. Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome strikes fast and often though, and having recently discovered this Ohana CK-60 is for sale at a place very near where I live is a dangerous thing indeed... it's so beautiful! I don't know if I can justify the purchase since I already have a nice uke in mahogany, but this one is concert-sized as opposed to soprano, so... maybe that counts for something?

Along with looking forward to the uke theme night coming up, this Monday or Tuesday Amazon's going to be shipping me a copy of the Strokes' new album, Angles, which I'm really really excited for. I knew it was coming up and they've been one of my favourite bands ever since Is This It? came out in 2001, but it was seeing their recent performance on SNL that really got me looking forward to this album. I think their sound has improved and changed with every release, while still being instantly recognisable, and I'm so looking forward to hearing what Angles has to offer.

For anyone in the GTA who might want to check out the Corktown Ukulele Jam, their website is http://www.torontoukes.com. Although their minimum skill page might seem daunting, don't let it bother you -- there are plenty of beginners every week and lots of friendly people who'll help you out :)

Take care!

happy 15th anniversary, pokemon!!

Hi everyone!

Just a short post today since I wanted to point out that today is the 15th anniversary of Pokemon! The original Pokemon Red and Green were released on this day in 1996 in Japan. It seems like time really flies sometimes... I remember watching the first episode of the animated series when it aired here in Canada on YTV and how much I loved it. I think every kid wants to go on an adventure and the series always had such a sense of discovery and fun. I convinced my little brother to lend me his copy of Blue and I've looked forward to each new generation of games since then!

There is a special event going on today at the Pokemon Center Yokohama with all sorts of events like a bingo game and a special battle. There's even live music :) It looks like so much fun, I wish I could be there!

On Sunday, the release day of Black and White, I'll be working an 8.5-hour shift and it'll be a tough wait to get home and play my copy of Black! But I know we'll be busy getting copies of the games out to all the kids who came in to preorder, and I bet a lot of them will be playing Pokemon for the first time. I hope they have the same sense of wonder and delight I had when I was younger and played for the first time too!

Take care everyone!

nice to meet you!

Hey there! My name is poo and this is my personal journal!

I've made several blogs with specific subjects in the past but this one is really just going to be me talking about whatever I feel like at the time, so hopefully it's interesting to someone out there, maybe! My interests are pretty varied and include playing ukulele, growing plants and trees (although I'm not very good at it), playing video games (especially RPGs and especially-especially Pokemon), and fashion and generally being a ridiculous clotheshorse. Lately I've kind of gotten into trains as well after having spent a short while in Japan and enjoying the really cool and awesome JR system. Darling says this is pretty nerdy but I think that's more or less par for the course where I'm concerned.

Lately I've been really excited for Pokemon Black & White so I've been watching the TV animation while I wait for the game release! Choosing a starter is really tough. I was leaning towards Oshawott for a long time but after seeing Snivy in action on the show she has such a cute personality and I'll probably end up choosing her. I found this amazing Snivy toy at Play-Asia the other day and as much as I'd really love to have a giant Snivy in my room the shipping to where I live is more than the cost of the toy itself, so it'll probably be a no-go... but just look at it!!

So smug! So leaf!!

What starter is everyone else choosing? I'm looking forward to lots of battles and trades with friends over Wi-Fi!!

In any case, that's probably it for now. Today is over 0°C again where I live and the melting snow is a sure sign that spring is coming soon. I look forward to being able to go for bike rides again soon! 'Til next time!